


Beacon of Light

by TBVikingAddict



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Badass Bella, F/M, Grief, Honorable Major, Maria’s army, No throuple, Revenge, Romance, Texas, Time Travel, Vampire Violence, War, Whitlocks, newborn army - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:47:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 34,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24521875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TBVikingAddict/pseuds/TBVikingAddict
Summary: When Victoria sends Bella back in time, she's recruited into Maria's newborn army. There she meets the Major, who's never encountered a newborn quite like her. In the absence of everything familiar, Bella glues herself to his side. So what's the Major to do when a determined newborn decides to claim him as family? Peter hasn't got a clue, but tries to help him figure it out anyway.
Relationships: Alice Cullen/Jasper Hale (briefly), Carlisle Cullen/Esme Cullen, Charlotte/Peter (Twilight), Emmett Cullen/Rosalie Hale, Jasper Hale/Bella Swan
Comments: 142
Kudos: 638





	1. Silent Soldier

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Morning, readers!
> 
> So, this IS a Jasper/Bella time travel fic. I know, the idea's been done before, but I got addicted to the Maria's army fics and there weren't nearly enough! That's usually how it starts for me... I only write what I want to read. Lol. Please keep in mind that I write to entertain myself, so if you just really wanna flame it? That's okay. There are literally thousands of other stories at your fingertips. Instead of showing me hate, go show them some love. You'd be doing us all a favor.
> 
> For everyone who does end up loving this fic just as much as I do? Here's the thing- I started this story around the same time I began my crossover (which I haven’t yet started uploading to AO3) and I've been hanging onto it, adding bits and pieces for the last two years. I just recently pulled it out again and started editing. I have a lot of serious medical issues and can't confidently say when it will get updated, so please bear with me. I'll work on it when I feel up to it and that's all I can promise you.
> 
> Lastly, I want to say thank you to KittyInAZ for pre-reading these chaps and letting me bounce ideas off her. Seriously, she's amazing. Google her if you haven't already.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing. The Twilight Saga belongs to Stephanie Meyers in its entirety. I'm just a writer who lives for the 'What Ifs...'

Victoria and Carlos

Victoria never did like Forks much. Even before she lost James to the odd coven that resided there, the small town never sat well with her. The constant, steady drizzle of rain that settled over the place always rubbed her the wrong way, casting a distinctly dreary aura over what she imagined would otherwise be a quaint and picturesque little village. She couldn't understand the appeal of a gloomy place like that. Sure, the overcast sky made it possible for her kind to safely venture outdoors during the daytime, but the never ending pitter patter of rain was suffocating. She doubted anything good could ever come from lingering in a town like Forks.

"You're sure this is what you want?" a silken voice asked her and Victoria turned to look at the vampire standing to her right.

A human would've found it difficult to see them both at that moment. They were clever, using the cover of darkness and the surrounding shadows to their advantage. It was instinctive for them to blend into their surroundings, an impulse that every human drinking vampire was familiar with. Only the bright crimson color of their eyes would've given their location away.

Victoria, on the other hand, could see the other nomad quite clearly. His pale, marble skin reflected hints of the scattered moonlight peeking through the overcast sky, causing the scars littering his skin to stand out more than ever before.

She let her gaze linger on those scars for a second before focusing her darkening eyes on the second story window of Bella Swan's house. If Victoria was lucky, similar scars would litter the girl's skin long before she was torn apart in a battle that had already happened decades ago. She was counting on it, actually. She wanted Bella to suffer like no other and the idea of trapping the mousey, little human in the newborn wars of the South? Well, she couldn't come up with a way to make her suffer more than that.

And the coven that tore James apart? They would finally get a taste of the relentless grief that consumed her.

"I'm sure," Victoria replied, the soft notes of her musical voice hardened with resolve.

The nomad standing beside her was a solitary vampire, one that her James had somehow befriended more than forty years ago. Her mate occasionally sought him out every couple of decades, but Victoria had never realized that James had kept to a set schedule. He always visited Carlos around the same time every fifteen years, without fail. When James missed the last visit, Carlos knew something was wrong and sought her out instead. She told him what happened, told him about the coven that tore her mate apart and the human pet they kept, and Carlos decided to stay with her for a while. Normally, a vampire with scars like his would send her running, but Victoria had a gift for sensing danger and she sensed none from the vampire standing at her side.

It didn't take long for Carlos to realize that Victoria never strayed far from Forks and he quickly pieced together that she was looking for revenge. She hadn't decided what, exactly, she wanted to do with Bella Swan until about an hour ago, though, when Carlos finally revealed the dark history behind his many scars. Victoria already knew what they meant, of course. James had filled her in on that fascinating tidbit after their first encounter with the Cullens, when Jasper Whitlock's unexpected presence among them had caught his attention. She was merely waiting for the vampire to confide in her before addressing the topic. And Carlos didn't disappoint her. Though it took far longer than she expected it to, he eventually took that leap of faith and shared his story with her. To her surprise and unending delight, it wasn't the only secret the former soldier decided to spill.

Not long after the macabre tale of his change came tumbling out, Carlos disclosed that he possessed a gift, an odd one that Victoria planned to use. He could send the living back in time to any year that he himself had lived through. At first, Victoria had naively hoped he could send _her_ back, that she could go back and fix the grave mistake they made when James decided he wanted to make a game of hunting Bella Swan. That foolish hope died when Carlos explained his gift only worked on people with a beating heart, but then a darker hope started to take root, a hope inspired by the litany of bite marks dusting his skin. That spark of hope quickly grew into a raging inferno and Victoria finally knew how to punish the girl responsible for her mate's demise.

The redhead was keenly aware the seer in the Cullen coven would have a vision of the decision she made, but it didn't deter her. If anything, the knowledge brought a dark smile to her face. By their own design, the animal drinking fools were currently on the other side of the country. They were too far away to get back in time to interfere.

Carlos honestly wasn't sure why his gift wouldn't work on vampires, but he often theorized that sending a vampire back in time would upset the balance too much. A small wrinkle, one loose thread, wouldn't detract from the beauty of fate's great design. One sole mortal was nothing in the grand scheme of things. A vampire, on the other hand, could puncture a whole in that design and potentially cause the entire weave to unravel. The damage a vampire was capable of causing was too great a risk for fate to allow. A human, however... well, one paltry human couldn't make that much of a difference.

And that was what Carlos told himself to justify what he was about to do. He told himself that one sole human didn't matter. Besides, Bella Swan was hovering on death's doorstep anyway. With a wrathful vampire like Victoria after her, the petite girl never stood a chance. At least this way, her future was uncertain. Were she truly as unique as he privately suspected her to be, then she had a small shot at survival.

If she could befriend a whole coven of vampires, surely she could befriend another, right? She could find someone to turn her and protect her until she made it back to her own time, couldn't she?

Victoria, the spiteful creature, was under the false impression that he stuck around out of some odd kind of loyalty to James, but that wasn't true. In fact, Carlos could barely tolerate the tracker and the only thing that had kept him from ending the disgusting vampire himself was a warning from a friend, an old war buddy. Peter Whitlock had a gift of his own, one that Carlos always heeded. The asshole just knew shit and that shit had a way of always coming true. Peter had saved his sorry hide on more than one occasion, so when Peter called and warned him not to kill the tracker that showed up every few years, Carlos listened.

He hadn't understood it at the time. After all, James was a bottom-feeder. He hunted the innocent and gained joy from terrorizing the unfortunate girls that caught his attention. Like Peter and his mate, Char, Carlos only fed from the guilty. He had no tolerance for vampires like James, but he trusted Peter and let the tracker keep his head.

He was even more confused when Peter and Char visited him a couple weeks back to call in an old debt, asking him to find James' mate, Victoria, and help her gain her vengeance.

One look at Bella, the object of Victoria's wrath, was all it took to understand. She was a true innocent, in every sense of the word, and she would meet her death at Victoria's hands one way or another. Stepping in meant she might actually survive somehow. And if she didn't? Then her death would be a mercy. Bella Swan hadn't been truly alive since the night the Cullen coven left her. She was slowly making her way to an early grave and she died a little more inside every day.

Bella was lost to the world right now, that was easy to see, and Carlos highly doubted that was likely to change anytime soon. It might've been a naive and foolish wish, but he rather hoped she stayed that way. Considering the life he was about to force upon her, numbness would be a blessing.

He really should've known better. The true tragedy of it was that Carlos wouldn't remember one of the harshest lessons he learned in battle until after he sent Bella back. He'd forgotten that war had a nasty habit of turning the most feeling people numb and forcing numb people to feel.

"I'm sure," Victoria repeated emphatically, mistaking Carlos' reluctance for skepticism, and took a step towards the house. "Let's get this done, Carlos."

Lips pursed, he silently followed Victoria as she ghosted across the front lawn and climbed the tree outside of Bella's open window. With all the grace their kind was known for, she leapt from the tree to the window and lithely slipped her body through the open frame.

Carlos sadly shook his head at the sight, pitying the sleeping owner of the erratic heartbeat coming from that room. The foolish girl had left the window open just in case the coven she loved ever returned. While it was true that a closed window wouldn't have stopped Victoria from entering, he almost felt like Bella was asking for it by making it too easy.

Following Victoria into the room, he paused just inside and let himself adjust to the decadent scent that coated the walls. Buried under layers of Bella's rich, floral tones was the faint trace of a male vampire, but the scent was so weak that Carlos could tell it'd been several weeks since he'd last been there. Months, even. Quicker to adjust, Victoria was already standing at the foot of Bella's bed, watching the restless girl toss and turn with predatory eyes. From what they'd seen, she always slept fitfully and tonight was no different.

"Do you think it's her conscience that keeps her from resting peacefully?" Victoria wondered offhandedly, whispering at a level too low for the girl to hear. "Or is it the fact that the coven she loved abandoned her, leaving her to the mercy of the supernatural world?" She made a small sound of amusement as she listened to Bella's erratic pulse rise and fall, "Do you think vampires hunt her in her dreams, Carlos? Maybe she dreams of me."

"We will never know," Carlos remarked, though he had a feeling Bella's dreams were haunted by vampires with golden eyes rather than red ones.

His crimson gaze trailed over Bella's petite form sympathetically, solemnly taking in the exhausted state of her worn body and the deep bruises beneath her eyes before he looked elsewhere. Wandering over to her desk, he scanned the collage of pictures she'd pinned to the wall above it with open curiosity. Her warm, brown eyes held an undeniable spark of life in those photos, one he hadn't seen a hint of even once in all the weeks he'd watched Victoria stalk her.

"Es una pena, _¿_ no?" The redhead threw him an uncomprehending look and Carlos gestured to the photos on the wall. "It's a shame," he repeated in accented English. He was met with another blank stare, so he clarified, "The state they left her in, what they've reduced her to." Carlos glanced at Bella again, noting to himself that she was nothing more than a pale shadow of the vibrant girl captured in those images. He found it rather heartbreaking to see that the love she had for that coven was now killing her bit by bit. "Draining her would've been more merciful than this."

"And they consider themselves more compassionate than vampires like us," Victoria agreed with a sneer. She hated Bella with a passion, but she couldn't deny the truth in his words.

Deep down, buried underneath all the rage and heartache, there was a tiny part of Victoria that knew it wasn't fair to take her anger out on Bella. The brunette was really just another victim of the Cullens and it was clear that she was suffering immensely, but Victoria was too blinded by the deep rooted ache in her soul to think rationally. She was desperate to avenge her mate, consumed with the need for revenge, and the Cullens had too many gifts and numbers on their side for her to pursue them. Taking them on was a death sentence and, despite her need to make them suffer, Victoria wasn't ready to die. Unfortunately, that meant the only option she had left was to use Bella to make them pay for the destruction of her mate.

With movements so fluid they were practically feline, Victoria prowled closer and crouched down at Bella's bedside. The redhead stared at the girl's drawn face as she murmured, "You know they killed my mate for her, Carlos. They killed James for a human they had no intentions of ever changing. My mate died for a girl they abandoned like yesterday's trash."

Carlos cautiously stepped closer and asked in a carefully neutral tone, "If that's how you truly feel, then why do we punish her? We should be punishing the coven."

"We are," Victoria said darkly. "I am not convinced they left because they care nothing for her. Saving her was important to them. They put their very lives on the line to keep her heart beating. It will kill them to know that the girl they risked everything for was given a fate worse than death because of them, because of _their_ sins." She tilted her head in a very catlike way and mused, "I watched them before they left, you know, watched how they treated her. I think they were all in love with her humanity. Their departure was just a pathetic attempt to preserve it." With a light laugh, she observed, "If she does somehow survive the Southern Wars, there will be nothing _human_ left about her." Her eyes glittered dangerously in the dark room as she lifted her head and met his gaze, "I can't decide what I would enjoy more... her death on the battlefield or her survival. Either way, the Cullens will be destroyed by it."

Before Carlos could react, Victoria reached out and snatched the girl to her. Bella's eyes flew open and a startled noise was torn from her throat, muffled by the hand Victoria was using to cover her mouth. Survival instincts kicked in and the petite girl looked around wildly as she thrashed in her hold, desperately trying to throw Victoria off her. She caught sight of Carlos a second later, somehow noticing the color of his eyes in the middle of her furious struggle to break free. A flicker of recognition flashed in those weary pools of chocolate and he watched in fascination as her body instantly stilled.

He was amazed by how quickly she'd realized it was pointless to fight. It was the first time he'd seen actual proof that she truly knew what they were.

"Hello, Bella," Victoria cooed from behind her, holding her firmly against her chest. Bella's eyes widened slightly at the familiar sound of her voice, but her face remained otherwise blank. The redhead pouted in disappointment over her lack of reaction and chided, "Don't be like that, Bella. I know you've been sleep-walking for months, but it's time to wake up now. I've been waiting so very patiently."

Bella's pulse quickened, but she made no effort to fight her off. Her eyes remained flat and emotionless, which Carlos was secretly grateful for. He hoped she stayed that way when he sent her into the past.

"No?" Victoria asked, amused. "I could always get Charlie. Would you like that, Bella? Would that wake you up?"

Bella visibly tensed and Carlos interrupted, hoping to stop Victoria before she could accomplish her goal. He didn't want Bella awake, he wanted her to remain numb.

"I didn't agree to getting the Chief of Police involved, Victoria," he warned in a dark tone, failing to notice the way the human's gaze suddenly sharpened. Bella was a perceptive girl, she knew what a reluctant accomplice looked like when she saw one. "You'll bring the Volturi down on us. Going after his daughter is risky enough."

"Fine," Victoria agreed with a petulant sigh. Bella didn't relax, but Carlos wasn't worried. He doubted one threat would be enough to bring her out of the heavy mental fog she'd shrouded herself in. "This is Carlos, Bella," Victoria purred in her ear. "I've always wondered, can your human eyes see the scars littering his skin? Your friend, Jasper, was covered in them too."

She paused for a reaction and gave the girl a small shake when she received none. The shake was enough to jar Bella's bones and Carlos held back a growl of protest over the rough treatment. The girl was about to go through enough pain without Victoria adding to it. Bella's eyes began to water from the sting and she finally gave in, answering the vampire with a stilted shake of her head.

Victoria let out a tinkling laugh and trailed her free hand down Bella's arm. She tapped the scar on the girl's wrist meaningfully and asked in a silky tone, "You never realized Jasper was covered from head to toe in bite marks just like this one?" She tutted in her ear and sighed in mock disappointment, "I guess you wouldn't. I mean, you were always too busy mooning over Edward to look too closely at Jasper. It's a pity, really. Because of that pathetic boy, you never realized there was a bonafide warrior around." Her voice took on a more taunting tone, "Edward's not the only one who could've changed you, you know. Jasper's changed hundreds, maybe even thousands. James thought going after you would be the ultimate hunt once he realized who Jasper was. Alice's visions made the hunt tempting, but when he discovered that Jasper was protecting you too? Well, the game became too intoxicating to resist. James thought Jasper would be his most challenging opponent."

Carlos' eyes shot up to Victoria in surprise. He hadn't known that one of the Cullens had served in the Wars. If he was hearing right, it sounded like she was talking about Jasper Whitlock, who had fought under Maria for the better part of a century.

It was an odd coincidence, that Peter and Char would ask him to help Victoria send back a human girl their sire had befriended. Whatever bond they shared would not yet exist in that period of time, so he doubted sending Bella back would benefit Jasper in any way. Maybe they were hoping Victoria would leave their sire alone if she took her anger out on the human. Her ability to sense danger made her difficult to catch and her determination to avenge her mate meant she was a lethal threat.

Whatever their reasoning was, he just hoped Jasper didn't come after him once everything was said and done.

"Where is Jasper now, Bella? Where's Edward?" Victoria asked with a cruel laugh, her hand tightening painfully around Bella's arm. " _Where are all the Cullens?_ Are you not worthy of their protection anymore?"

Bella flinched in pain, but Carlos mistakenly assumed that pain was caused by the strength of Victoria's grip. A solitary tear spilled down her cheek and Carlos attributed that, too, to her physical discomfort. He doubted it was from an emotional wound, not when her lifeless eyes seemed even emptier than before. Thanks to Victoria's maliciousness, those eyes had grown impossibly colder.

"Did Edward ever tell you about the life Jasper lived before he joined the Cullens, Bella?" Victoria asked in a conversational tone. Bella feebly shook her head again and the redhead chuckled. "I'm not surprised. He probably didn't want to frighten you, weak mortal that you are. Vampires used to breed entire armies of newborns to fight for feeding territories in the South, before the Volturi put an end to it all. That's where Jasper was changed. He was recruited by a warlord named Maria and gained quite a fearsome reputation as the leader of her army. He spent over seventy years under her command. Right, Carlos?"

"The famed Major of the South," he idly agreed and drifted closer in curiosity.

Bella hadn't looked away from him even once while Victoria was taunting her, never letting her weary eyes stray from his own. Carlos was the bigger threat in the room and he could tell that she sensed it somehow. Her observant, brown eyes might not have registered his or Jasper's scars, but it was obvious to Carlos that she'd still learned something useful from her time with Jasper's coven, how to identify the greater threat.

"I never thought he'd be one to ignore the laws," he said contemplatively, genuinely puzzled by Jasper's actions. Bella's brow crinkled in confusion and Carlos took pity on her, explaining, "The Volturi, our rulers, have a law that states any human who knows about vampires must be changed or killed. The Cullens endanger themselves by letting you live. Jasper knows this."

"Why do you think James was so determined to pursue you?" Victoria asked dangerously. "Had the Cullens simply changed you, we would've backed off, but they refused to abide by the rules. They left us no choice. We were required to obey the law or die in your stead."

Bella's face crumpled and the redhead laughed darkly. She could literally see the realization sinking in, the horrifying knowledge that the coven she loved so much had risked her mother's life merely to keep her human. They'd risked her father's too, though the brunette was unaware of it. If James' ploy on the phone hadn't worked, Victoria would've snatched Charlie next.

Carlos finally stopped in front of Bella's bed and kneeled, bringing himself down to her eye level. "I do not know how you managed to stay Jasper Whitlock's hand, Bella, but you should not expect the same mercy when you see him next... if you make it that long. ¿Entiendes?" He brushed a sweaty lock of hair out of her eyes and stressed, "Jasper was known for being ruthless back then. He will not save you. At best, he will change you and force you to serve as a soldier until your newborn year ends, promising you'll go free when that year is over. Then he will kill you. He will not be the man you know. Remember that, chiquita. Es importante."

He wasn't sure how much Spanish Bella knew, if any, but he had an eerie instinct that she understood everything. To Victoria, it sounded like Carlos was taunting her, but he had a feeling that Bella knew he was actually trying to help her. She had no idea why he was warning her about Jasper, but she knew that was exactly what he was giving her, a warning.

"You don't get it yet, do you, Bella?" Victoria giggled gleefully. She brought her lips back to Bella's ear and whispered, "Carlos has a gift. He can send anyone with a beating heart back in time." Bella's racing pulse sped up even more. Carlos' gaze darted over to Victoria in question, earning himself a small nod. "It's such a pity I won't get to taste you first," she teased, reveling in the girl's responding shudder. "While you do smell heavenly, this... this feels so much more _satisfying_. Say hello to Maria and Jasper for me, Bella."

Closing his eyes, Carlos lifted his hand and gently touched Bella's forehead as he called forth his gift. Water poured from his fingertips and he opened his eyes to watch it flow over her body. It clung to her unnaturally, behaving in a way that ordinary water never would. Bella started to tremble and Carlos lifted his gaze to hers in surprise, locking eyes with her one last time. Too late, he registered the change in her pretty, brown orbs. Her drenched form was already fading by the time he realized Bella was not as numb as she'd pretended to be.

The room was eerily quiet in the wake of what he'd just done. His darkening gaze remained fixed on the vacant space where her brown eyes once resided as he swallowed roughly, his chest uncomfortably tight. All that was left of Bella Swan were wet sheets and the bitter scent of her fear lingering in the air.

Thoughts racing, he replayed the last half hour in his mind, trying to pinpoint the exact moment the scent of Bella's fear filled the room. It was such a typical human reaction to their kind that he hadn't even noticed it. Ashamed, he finally realized it’d happened when Victoria mentioned her father. She loved him more than Carlos realized if she'd pulled herself together when Victoria threatened his life.

"Buena suerte," he murmured, swallowing a curse. It was different when he thought that Bella had shut down, that she was hollow. If she were dead inside, he could pretend this was a mercy, an end to her suffering. Now it just felt like cruelty. He had a feeling the terror he'd seen in those wide, brown eyes would haunt him for many years to come.

Victoria brought him out of his thoughts when she flicked her wet hands, spraying him with droplets of water. Eyeing the soaked bedsheets, she asked curiously, "What's with the water?"

"Time is not linear," Carlos explained absentmindedly, still thinking about the cruelty of the path he'd just placed an innocent girl on. "It's not a road that takes you from point A to point B. It flows like a river. I merely drop people in."

Victoria looked at him oddly and a dark, satisfied smile started to spread across her face, "Then for Bella's sake, I hope she can swim."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> ¿Entiendes? - Understand?
> 
> Chiquita - Little girl
> 
> Es importante - It's important.
> 
> Buena suerte - Good luck


	2. Blast from the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice gets a vision of Victoria’s latest decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to give credit to IdreamofEddy for Peter's gift last chapter. In case you didn't know, that is where the whole idea of Peter's most commonly accepted gift originated. Like everyone else, I love the concept of Peter's gift and decided to stick with it.
> 
> Just FYI, this chapter is extremely brief. My chapters don't normally run this short, but it felt strange trying to tack it on to the end of the last one. Expect long chapters from here on out. I've also been experimenting a bit with the POV I use in my stories, trying to figure out which one I like the most. Unfortunately, I completely forgot that I switched between two characters last chap. while I was writing. The rest of this story will be written in 3rd person limited, meaning you see everything from just one character's POV the entire chap. No need to point it out to me, I'm already aware. I may go back and rewrite the first chapter, but for now I'm leaving it.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing. Twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm just a writer who gets her kicks setting up Bella Barbie with G.I. Jasper...

Alice

Across the country, in an isolated and picturesque plantation house that the Cullens had claimed as their own, Alice was filling a vase with a fresh arrangement of handpicked freesias. She replaced the flowers with fresh ones on a weekly basis, cloaking the entire house in the delicate fragrance. It'd become somewhat of a tradition for her, a bittersweet ritual she'd started about a week after the family left Forks.

She didn't know what possessed her to do it the first time, to fill their home with the scent that reminded their family so strongly of Bella, but she knew the others secretly appreciated the gesture. Edward was the only one who objected to her new ritual. In fact, Edward despised her for it, resenting the constant reminder of the lover he'd left behind, but Alice refused to let the floral aroma fade. The scent was soothing to her, bringing a comfort to her that only Bella could provide, and Alice was unwilling to give that up.

A piece of her silent heart had shattered the night Edward forced them to leave Forks. The separation from her human sister hurt so much more than Alice anticipated it would. She honestly felt lost without Bella, like she'd left a part of her very soul behind. They all did. Bella had somehow wormed her way into all of their hearts, claiming a piece of them as hers forever. Even Rosalie and Jasper, who had interacted with Bella the least, were pained by her absence, which was why nobody said a word when Alice began leaving freesias all over the house.

The others were truly grateful for Alice's new quirk. It made them all feel closer to Bella; if they closed their eyes and focused solely on the floral bouquet, they could almost see her. For that brief moment, they could imagine that Bella had just been there, that she'd just stopped by for a quick visit before heading home to make dinner for Charlie.

They could almost pretend that they hadn't abandoned her.

It was an illusion they all indulged in, a fragile daydream that fell apart the second the vase slipped from Alice's fingers, shattering when it hit the floor. Immersed in a vision, she didn't notice the shocked silence that swept through the house, nor did she notice when the others flew to her side. Her heart clenched in pain as she watched Victoria's insidious plans unfold, horror making her throat close up. Her shoulders heaved with a broken sob when she realized they'd never make it back to Forks in time to stop her.

She was still watching the consequences of Victoria's decision when Edward let out an agonized shout and bolted from the house. Concerned, Emmett briefly shared a look with Rosalie before he took off after him. Alice already knew they wouldn't make it in time to save Bella, but Edward was still determined to try.

When the vision finally stopped, she collapsed in a heap on the dining room floor. Jasper was quick to join her. Pulling her into his lap, he tucked his arms carefully around her small frame. She could feel him trembling around her, his body literally shaking under the onslaught of her dark emotions. Alice wanted to push him away, certain the sheer amount of her self-loathing, hatred, guilt, and grief was hurting him, but didn't bother. She knew he'd just refuse to leave her while she was suffering. It was a realization that made her already profound sense of guilt double in intensity. In all the years they'd been together, she'd never once hated herself the way she did now. She was disgusted with herself and poor Jasper was experiencing the brunt of it.

"What have we done?" she choked out, suffocating on her grief. "We've given her a fate worse than death."

The remaining coven members all inhaled sharply at that, dreading whatever Alice was about to reveal. They all knew without asking that she was talking about Bella, the most vulnerable of their family. Edward had convinced them all that they posed the biggest threat to her safety, that they needed to leave in order to protect her from themselves. It never occurred to them that they were leaving her exposed. They'd only wanted to save her, instead they'd condemned her to a hell Alice wouldn't wish upon her worst enemy.

"Alice," Carlisle said gently, kneeling down next to her and Jasper. His golden eyes were dark with concern as he asked, "What did you see?"

"Victoria," she whimpered, unaffected by the calm Jasper was so desperately trying to send her. It wasn't enough. The sheer strength of her grief and guilt were too powerful for Jasper to manipulate. "Jasper was right, Carlisle. James was her mate. She's making her move as we speak."

Jasper stiffened beneath her and clarified, "She wants revenge?" Alice made a wounded noise and Jasper tightened his grip on her waist. Confused, he wondered, "What move, Ali? She isn't comin' for us?"

His Texan drawl slipped out with his concern and it made the others wince. Jasper's accent usually only made an appearance when he was emotionally distraught.

"No," Alice whispered hoarsely, "she's targeting Bella." Ignoring the others, she looked up and met Jasper's dark gaze, the only one who would truly understand the hell Bella was about to suffer through. "She's found a vampire with a gift to send the living back in time. She's sending Bella back, Jazz... Back to you and Maria."

An eerie silence met her revelation, broken only by the sound of Jasper's breath catching.

"She didn't... I d-didn't..." he stammered before he managed to collect himself. Brow creased in concern, he finally voiced, "I have no memories of drainin' her. With her scent, Bella would've _stood out."_

"You mean you would've singled her out," Rosalie said bluntly, ignoring Esme's gasp of dismay. Carlisle frowned disapprovingly at her and she ignored that too. "You would've wanted to taste her yourself," she surmised, raising a knowing eyebrow at him. "Right, Jazz?"

Jasper grunted in agreement, unable to look anyone in the eye. Chances were that he would've done more than just _desire_ a taste of someone with such a tempting scent. He likely would've _insisted_ upon it. Being the leader of Maria's forces came with certain perks, after all. Alice had even witnessed some of those rewards through her earliest visions of him. Idly, she wondered whether Bella's affection for their family, Jasper included, would intrigue him enough to keep him from completely draining her if Jasper marked her as prey. The possibility that it wouldn't was too overwhelming to consider.

Gazing sadly at him, Alice whispered regretfully, "It hasn't happened yet. Your memories won't change until it happens."

It was part of the vision she saw after Victoria made her decision. Though she didn't know _what_ he would remember, she knew that Jasper was going to be powerfully affected by it. That was all Alice had managed to glimpse before her vision had cut out, Jasper on his knees. She was desperately hoping a profound memory didn't necessarily mean a devastating one.

She didn't know what she would do if Jasper killed her best friend. Her sister in all but blood. How was she supposed to ever look at him the same way again if he remembered feeding from her?

Maybe this was why she never saw them mating. Even when she intentionally decided to let him bite her, she only ever saw them happy together for a couple of decades before everything just... stopped. Somehow, it was like they had never mated in the first place and she could never pinpoint the precise moment everything changed. All she knew was that it would be better if they never took that step.

Sensing her uncertainty and trepidation, Jasper implored, "Ali..."

Alice couldn't look at him. As often as she stepped in and prevented him from killing the humans he didn't actually want to, this was something she couldn't prevent. There was no way to help the Jasper under Maria's control. Unfortunately, she also knew this was the one human he never wanted to hurt. He'd been crushed by his lapse in control last September and was still recovering from the incident, despite the fact that the family was actually proud of him for having the restraint to allow Emmett and Rosalie to remove him from the party. If he was still responsible for Bella's death after all that, she was sure it would break him.

It might just break her too.

"If it hasn't happened yet, perhaps Edward and Emmett will get to her in time," Carlisle suggested hopefully and Alice gave him a look of pure pity.

"She made the final decision to send Bella back while she was standing just outside her house," she explained carefully, keenly aware of the impact her words would have. "It's going to happen any minute now."

Jasper gently set Alice on the floor and stood up, his body drawn taught like the string of a bow. Clearing his throat roughly, he informed them, "There's a chance I won't drain her. I could... I could change her."

Rosalie stared at him in horror, "Change her to serve in your army?" Esme made a strangled sound. "Shit, Jazz, then I hope you suck her dry!"

Jasper visibly recoiled. Silently fuming, Alice pinned her sister with a glare. Though she knew Rose hadn't meant it, she'd unintentionally made it sound like she thought it was better to die than to have a war veteran in their house.

A war veteran like Jasper.

"Rosalie!" Carlisle barked, his angry voice piercing the blonde like a blade. Their coven leader never grew angry. Visibly forcing himself to calm down, he reassured them, "Bella is strong. If she's changed, I have no doubt that she will survive somehow and seek one of us out. Eventually, she will find her way back to us."

Just seconds after he'd spoken the words, Jasper stumbled and dropped to his knees. Startled shock poured out of him, his control over his ability snapping under the assault of the new memories slamming into his mind.

"Jasper?" Carlisle asked worriedly, only to get distracted by Alice collapsing, her back hitting the wooden floor with a loud thunk. "Alice, dear?"

Alice never expected Bella's journey to the past to impact hers too. As she watched her entire history be rewritten through her new memories, she knew the future would change in irrevocable ways. Ways she couldn't even begin to predict or imagine.

For once, she could honestly say that she hadn't seen it coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder to everyone, 4padfoot set up a PayPal donation link over on my blog, TBVikingAddict.wordpress.com. Because of the constant procedures and doctors appointments I have to deal with, I don't currently have a job. I'm in the process of trying to get disability, but it's taking much longer than I thought it would. If any of you feel like donating, every little bit helps.


	3. Army Brats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bella finds herself in a different place and time. A vampire is on the hunt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing. Twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm just an addict who got a taste of 'em good ol' country boys and liked it just a little too much...

Bella

At first, Bella felt like she was floating. It was like taking a dip in the warm waters of Florida, peaceful and relaxing. Then the water rapidly cooled and realization struck her with the force of a wrecking ball; she wasn't floating, she was _drowning_. The blood in her veins ran cold and her lungs desperately screamed for air as she looked around, her eyes wildly scanning the dark waters for the barest hint of light. Catching a glimpse of what she thought might be the night sky overhead, she furiously kicked her way towards it.

With a loud splash, Bella finally fought her way to the surface of the chilly lake she'd ended up in. Shivering uncontrollably, she sucked in a deep breath and treaded water as she eyed her surroundings, searching for the closest sign of land. Luckily, the moon was out, illuminating the unfamiliar shoreline, and she took in another deep breath before swimming towards it.

A good five minutes later, she climbed out of the water on her hands and knees before collapsing on the shore from sheer exhaustion. Rolling onto her back, she stared at the unusually bright stars overhead for a few minutes, letting her furious pulse slow on its own.

Time travel. Victoria and Carlos had thrown her _back in time._ Biting down on her fist to keep from crying out, Bella desperately shook her head, a silent protest that came too late. Grief stricken, she didn't bother wiping away the tears falling down her already wet cheeks. If they were telling her the truth, then she was so screwed that it wasn't funny. She had no food, no clothes, and no money. She was stranded in what looked to be the middle of nowhere, trapped in a foreign place and time.

Loneliness gripped her at the thought. She'd never felt so utterly alone before, so isolated. Not even when Edward left her in the woods.

If she'd had the funds, Bella silently lamented, she could've gone to Italy and spoken with the Volturi. Carlisle had lived with the Italian coven at some point and there was even a small chance he could be there at that very moment. Of course, Carlisle wouldn't remember her even if she did manage to track him down, but at least she wouldn't've been alone in a world she no longer recognized. The only other person she knew in this time, Jasper, was someone Carlos had warned her to avoid.

 _Jasper's here somewhere_ , Bella thought to herself in longing. She hadn't heard from the Cullens in months and the temptation to find one of the vampires she considered family was a powerful one. After thinking she'd never see any of them ever again, she was almost overwhelmed with the desire to seek him out. The only thing stopping her from doing that very thing was the chilling warning Carlos had given her.

As much as Bella wanted to ignore the concerns of a vampire cruel enough to tear her out of her time, she found that she couldn't. His crimson eyes had been so painfully earnest when he delivered his warning that it was impossible to dismiss. For whatever reason, Carlos had been trying to spare her unnecessary pain and she recognized it. To her dismay, that meant that seeking out Jasper was not an option.

 _What about the others?_ she wondered.

Sadly, Bella didn't know if the other members of the Cullen coven had even been born yet. She only knew Carlisle was alive because Carlisle was older than Jasper; the two were the coven's eldest. It was very possible that Edward, Carlisle's first companion, wouldn't even be born for many years to come.

Taking in a deep, calming breath, Bella slowly sat up and took a quick inventory of herself, noticing the faint bruises on her arm from where Victoria had held her. The skin around her mouth also ached and she had a feeling the redhead had bruised her face too. Other than that, everything looked okay and she thanked God for that small mercy.

Getting to her feet, Bella looked around uncertainly, studying the unfamiliar terrain. She knew she was somewhere in the South, but she couldn't be sure of her location beyond that. From the temperature of the surprisingly warm breeze that coasted over her wet skin, she had a feeling she was actually somewhere in the Southwest. Texas or New Mexico, maybe. If she remembered right, Alice had once mentioned that Jasper was from Texas, so she was leaning more towards the Lone Star state.

Looking at the acres of green farmland surrounding the small lake she'd been swimming in, she ruled out Arizona. From what she remembered, the farms in her home state were a bit dryer. The trees most certainly were.

Her gaze eventually swept over a dirt path that led to a wider, dirt road. Numbly, she stumbled towards it, deciding it'd be best to follow it until she came to a town.

With a shiver, Bella spared a glance at her drenched clothing and let out a miserable laugh. She was still wearing the clothes she wore to bed, a pair of black sweatpants and one of Charlie's Forks PD shirts. She wasn't even wearing a pair of shoes and winced at the feel of the pebbles beneath her bare feet.

Training her gaze on the ground in front of her, she began carefully making her way down the road, doing her best to avoid as many sharp rocks as possible. She was trying her hardest not to think about the situation she'd found herself in and the likelihood that nobody she knew had even been born yet, but she was failing miserably at it.

After the Cullens left, Bella hadn't believed things could get any worse. She'd thought that nothing would ever compare to the loss she felt, but Victoria had proven her wrong. Thinking back on her pathetic behavior over the last few months, Bella felt shame rise in her chest. She'd completely shut down after the Cullens disappeared, acting as if her entire world had ended. It was an immature, childish reaction to a bad breakup and the horrible truth of the matter was that Bella hadn't understood what true loss was.

She could confidently say that she understood it better now.

Thanks to Victoria, she hadn't just lost the Cullens, she'd lost Charlie, Renee, Phil, Jake, Angela, and every other person she cared about back in Forks and La Push. She had no way of getting back to her own time, not unless she took the long way around, and she had a very strong feeling that there was more than just a decade or so separating her from her loved ones. It was entirely possible that she'd never see any of them again, that she'd grow old and die long before she ever got the chance.

In the face of that very real loss and grief, Bella realized now just how ridiculous she'd been acting and felt the bitter sting of regret. If she died here, in this time, she would never have the chance to tell Charlie just how sorry she was for shutting down on him the way she had. Uncaring of the pain she'd put him through, she'd completely withdrawn from the world and he hadn't deserved it. She'd never get the chance to make amends for that or thank him for the unconditional love and endless patience he'd shown her. Losing the opportunity to do that was, by far, her biggest regret.

The soles of her feet stung horribly by the time she finally made it into town, but Bella ignored it and doggedly continued putting one foot in front of the other. Her eyes were wide and incredulous as she took in her surroundings, dread pooling in the pit of her stomach as she noted the eerie lack of cars and paved roads. There were no stoplights and street signs, let alone anything with a motor. Instead there were horses and buggies and she started to realize with a growing sense of panic that the town itself resembled one from an old western way too much for her liking.

She didn't know what to do now. She had nowhere to go. For a brief second, she considered seeking out the local Sheriff's Office, but what would she say? Bella couldn't even explain the clothes she was wearing, let alone anything else. How would she explain that she didn't know what year it was? Was Washington even a territory at this point? Because she highly doubted it was a state. She knew for a fact that Arizona wasn't and wouldn't be until 1912.

_Has the Civil War even happened y-_

A cold chill swept down her spine, making her freeze mid thought. Her feet faltered as the skin on the back of her neck prickled. The sudden, unnatural quiet blanketing the area gave Bella goosebumps and the hairs on her arms stood on end. She threw a nervous look over her shoulder, her eyes drawn to the dark shadows that pooled around the buildings she'd passed, but the sight of her own bloody footprints distracted her. Unknowingly, she'd been leaving a trail of blood behind her as she walked through town.

 _"Vampires used to breed entire armies of newborns to fight for feeding territories in the South,"_ an echo of Victoria's taunting voice reminded her, " _before the Volturi put an end to it all."_

As if summoned by her thoughts, she felt an unnatural gust of air blow past her. Bella whipped around on instinct, searching for the threat, but her tired, human eyes failed to detect one. The dusty street looked just as empty as it did before.

Despite how alone it appeared she was, Bella wasn't fooled. She knew with every fiber of her being that a vampire was toying with her and, sadly, she realized that she couldn't even fault him for it. Foolishly, she'd practically advertised just how tasty her blood was by walking through town, leaving a decadent smelling blood trail that led straight to her. Glancing at the bloody footprints once more, Bella let out a defeated sigh and cursed under her breath, "Damn it all."

She swore she heard a chuckle.

Deciding not to play this twisted, little game, Bella tiredly limped over to the wall of the nearest building and sat down on the wooden walkway in front of it. Leaning her back against the wall, she crossed her arms over her chest and promptly got comfortable. Running was pointless and she knew it. Besides, something told her that she'd have a greater chance of surviving the night if she made this vampire come to her. And if he decided to make her a late night snack anyway? Well, at least she wouldn't spend the last precious few minutes of her time running for her life.

If she was about to be drained, she'd die on _her_ terms.

Nothing happened for a good ten minutes and Bella started to feel like she was playing a game of chicken, waiting for the other guy to blink first. She felt her lips start to curve at the thought, amused by the idea of out-waiting a vampire, and only then did something happen.

A tall, dark figure stepped into the soft lamplight at the far end of the dusty street. Bella felt her heart stutter in her chest and took in a deep breath to calm herself down, determined to show no fear. Squinting, she tried to make out the features of the man standing there, but quickly realized that it was a futile endeavor. In what she assumed was an attempt to hide his unnatural, red eyes, the vampire had pulled a black cowboy hat down low over his face. Making out his features was impossible.

Despite that, Bella couldn't help thinking that something about the man looked vaguely familiar. Maybe it was the confident, yet casual way he stood, his stance relaxed as he lazily leaned against the lamppost, or maybe it was the way he watched her to see how she would react first, like he was testing the waters before wading any deeper. She couldn't place her finger on what, exactly, it was that felt so familiar, but something about him reminded her of someone.

Then she caught a glimpse of blonde hair and a name fell from her lips without her permission, "Jasper?"

It came out no louder than a murmur, but she knew the vampire still heard her. He straightened up in surprise, his muscles tensing at the sound of a familiar name like a cat about to spring. Internally cursing up a storm, Bella clenched her eyes shut and scolded herself for the slip. If he wasn't Jasper, then he definitely knew him and Bella really didn't want to be taken back to Jasper's army of bloodthirsty newborns.

Stupid, stupid, _stupid_.

She heard the sound of a heavy boot stepping onto the wooden walkway where she'd decided to hold her impromptu sit-down and her body went rigid. On instinct, she turned her head the other away and clenched her eyes shut even tighter, which only made the vampire laugh.

"Keepin' your eyes closed ain't gonna do you an ounce of good, sweetheart," he chuckled in amusement. "I ain't goin' nowhere."

"Can't do any worse than leaving my bloody footprints all over town," she retorted, keeping her eyes firmly shut. He inhaled sharply in surprise and Bella felt a surge of triumph, taking a sick sense of pleasure in catching a vampire off guard.

"Well, you are a _fascinatin',_ li'l thing," he drawled and Bella decided she was _definitely_ in Texas. She suddenly got the eerie feeling that he was crouching down in front of her and tried not to flinch in reaction, struggling against her instinct to shift away. "Even if ya ain't much to look at. You kinda remind me of a drowned rat."

Bella let out a startled laugh and finally opened her eyes to look at him. Like he said, keeping them closed wouldn't do her any good anyway. Her fate had been sealed the second Victoria entered her room back in Forks.

The vampire smirked and tipped his cowboy hat towards her in greeting, "Evenin', ma'am."

Even though he was now within arm's reach, Bella still couldn't see his features clearly. His hat sat strategically on his head, tilted downward in a way that cloaked most of his face in shadows. Distracting her from her attempt to get a better look at him, he tugged gently on a wet lock of her hair and asked in a quizzical tone, "Why on earth are ya soakin' wet?"

"I was dropped in a lake," she said flatly and he grinned, looking extremely entertained. Embarrassingly, Bella suddenly felt the childish urge to stomp her foot and whine that it wasn't funny.

"And who would drop ya in a lake?"

"A petty redhead and her Mexican friend," Bella absently replied and ducked down to see beneath the brim of his hat. "You're not Jasper," she said without thinking. The smile he gave her in return sent chills down her spine.

"Jasper," the vampire repeated softly. "Now see, that's what I thought ya said," he murmured and tipped his hat up to look her in the eye. Bella was certain he noticed that she wasn't surprised by his eye color, but she just couldn't be bothered to pretend that she was. It'd been such a long, trying night and she was so very tired, much too tired to care about keeping up pretenses anymore. "And just how would a li'l bird like you know Jasper?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she said with a miserable laugh.

He raised a skeptical eyebrow at her and asked, "What, ya don't think I'll find out eventually? All I gotta do is bring you back to camp and I'm sure _Jasper_ will fill me in."

Bella nearly laughed at the way he pronounced the name, as if it felt foreign on his tongue. He obviously wasn't used to referring to Jasper by name and Bella wondered to herself what her friend went by now. Carlos had called him "the famed Major of the South," so maybe they just called him Major?

"He won't know who I am," Bella said with an amused grin, feeling uncharacteristically cheeky. She liked this vampire. He made her smile, which was something she hadn't done in months. "Besides, from what I hear," she taunted, "he's not exactly a friendly type of guy. You sure he would tell you even if he did?"

Bella was highly entertained by the uncertain look that swept across his face. Apparently, she'd hit the nail on the head. Judging by his expression, her description of Jasper was actually an understatement.

Deciding not to answer her, the vampire studied her quietly for a moment. Listening to the oddly sedate sound of her heartbeat, he finally asked, "What's your name, sweet pea?"

"Bella Swan," she said quietly, letting the endearment slide, "you?"

"Peter," he shrugged, "can't remember my last name."

"Can't you take your sire's last name?" Bella wondered and Peter inhaled sharply for the second time that night. Noticing, she cursed herself all over again and hastily muttered, "Covens up north do it all the time."

"Up north," Peter repeated, suddenly looking very thoughtful, and Bella started to wonder if Peter even knew what vampire life was like outside of Texas.

Before she could ask, Peter snatched up her arm and trained his gaze on the bite mark on her wrist. Bella jerked her arm back on instinct, but Peter held firm, refusing to loosen his grip. Staring at the scar, he shook his head in disbelief before lifting his eyes to hers again, "You survived a bite, Bella? How? How are ya still human?"

"A vampire didn't want me to change," she said hollowly, looking away, "so he sucked the venom out."

Bella's chest ached at the thought of Edward, but it wasn't the same unfathomable hole that she'd grown used to. The visit Victoria paid her had changed things for Bella. She was angry with him, she suddenly realized, angry that he'd kept so much from her. Sure, Bella had known for three months now that Edward didn't want her anymore and believed she wasn't good for him, but she'd never before felt so _insulted_ when she thought of him. There was so much he'd kept hidden from her, so much he should've told her.

Foolishly, Bella had thought he'd trusted her once, but if that were true, then why hadn't Edward told her about the threat the Volturi posed? About their laws? Why hadn't he told her about the warring vampire factions in the South? Why hadn't he told her about Jasper and what he'd been through? About his scars?

Did he not trust her with any of it? Or did he just think that her weak, human mind was incapable of processing it?

Maybe he thought there was no point. The human mind was a sieve, anyway, wasn't it? What was the point of telling her something so important when he believed weak, human minds forgot so very easily... At least, he thought _hers_ would. In addition to having so little faith in her memory, he apparently didn't have much faith in her ability to understand and process the pitfalls of the supernatural world.

That had to be it, Bella decided, wrapping her free arm tightly around her waist, an action she once hoped would keep her from falling apart. Edward had always treated her like she was so fragile, like she needed to be shielded from the realities of his world. He hadn't told her because he thought she couldn't understand it and she resented him for that. She felt so belittled, which made her even angrier. She was furious with Edward for making her feel that way.

Bella wasn't weak, though. She _wasn't_. Yes, the loss of the Cullens had wounded her deeply, but she had never intended to let that loss destroy the rest of her life. Eventually, she would've forced herself to pull her act together and move on, even if that wound never fully healed. Edward was so very wrong about her. She had a fortitude that would shock him, a will that was ten times stronger than any vampire's skin, and she intended to prove it.

"You didn't want him to," the vampire noted, reading her body language. He looked even more puzzled than before, like he couldn't understand why she would ever want to be changed.

Letting her arm relax and fall back to her side, Bella sat up a little straighter and looked at the vampire crouching in front of her. She wasn't weak and she refused to let anyone believe that she was.

"It might be hard for an army brat to understand," she joked and looked down at her wrist, "but things are done a little differently up north. The coven I wanted to join was peaceful, compassionate. Practically a family. I wanted to be a part of it."

Peter fell silent for a long, tense moment. He was obviously thinking hard about his odd conversation with what he thought was tonight's dinner. She was even beginning to get the impression that he didn't really want to hurt her, but she doubted he had much of a choice.

"You know I can't leave ya here," he said eventually, voicing her thoughts. "It's against our laws. A human with knowledge could stir up all sorts of trouble and I ain't takin' that risk, sweet pea. I can't."

"I know," Bella agreed roughly. Despite her best efforts to remain strong, her eyes started to burn and her throat grew tight. "I really screwed myself over by walking into town barefoot, didn't I?"

"A li'l bit, yeah," he replied, looking amused by her choice of words. His expression sobered as he offered, "I can always change ya, sugar. Life as an 'army brat' won't be easy, but it's still better than death."

"Until your year's up," she whispered tearfully and Peter's eyes widened in full blown surprise, "then it all looks the same to me."

"That won't happen. Not to you," Peter said forcefully and Bella skeptically raised her eyebrows at him. "It won't," he repeated matter-of-factly. "You're different somehow. I got a real good feelin' about ya, sweetheart. You don't think like the rest of 'em. You and me will be just fine."

"You think so? I've never been much of a fighter," Bella sighed, wiping away a tear with her free hand. She desperately wanted to believe him, but worried she'd just be lying to herself.

"I know so," he said confidently. "I've got a gift for shit like this. Besides, a vampire fight ain't nothin' like a human fight. We'll train ya up first before we turn ya loose. I ain't worried about that."

Desperate to change the subject, Bella latched onto something he said, "You got a gift, huh? Like Jasper's empathy?"

"How do ya know so much?" Peter asked with open curiosity, not answering her question. "I sincerely doubt the covens up north know that much."

"The petty redhead and her Mexican friend," Bella said sadly, not really lying. Everything she knew about the area and time she'd landed in was from Victoria and Carlos. She looked down at her wrist pointedly and explained, "Her mate thought I smelled amazing and tried to steal a taste. That coven I mentioned didn't take too kindly to that, so they destroyed him. Then they left me behind a few months later and the redhead returned for me. She heard about Maria's territory and decided dropping me in the middle of it sounded like fun. Like I said, petty."

Peter whistled admiringly, "Sounds like ya made some serious enemies there, sugar. Droppin' ya in a territory like this one? That redhead ain't messin' around."

"She wanted me to suffer," Bella halfheartedly agreed, preferring not to dwell on it. She was trying her hardest not to think about what laid in store for her if she did let him change her. It was exactly what Victoria had been hoping for and she wouldn't let the vindictive redhead win by fearing it.

To her surprise, a shadow of guilt flickered across Peter's face, disappearing so quickly that Bella nearly missed it.

"It's not your fault, Peter," she whispered, gently squeezing the cool hand still wrapped around her wrist. "You can't run with vampires and not expect to get bitten." Blinking back tears, she swallowed heavily and focused her eyes on the bank across the street, "Always knew I wouldn't die from old age. I just wish I had a chance to say goodbye to my dad first. She stole that from me."

Peter hummed in agreement, staring at her in thought. He cleared his throat to draw her attention back to him and said honestly, "I don't know if I should pity ya for your luck or commend ya for your bravery."

" _Bravery?"_ Bella scoffed, but the glint of admiration in Peter's eyes didn't fade. She could tell that he truly believed she was brave. Rolling her eyes, she muttered, "Didn't have much of a choice in the matter, Peter. I couldn't stop them, so I didn't even try. Nothing _brave_ about it..."

"It ain't up for debate, Miss Swan," he drawled, his dark eyes shining with amusement. "I told ya, I got a gift for shit like this and that gift's tellin' me you're braver than most the soldiers I've served with. Seein' as how you've been talkin' to _me_ without battin' an eye, a bloodthirsty vampire who thinks ya smell downright _sinful_ , I'm inclined to agree."

"I didn't fight," Bella argued, ashamed of her weakness. She was stronger than that. She _had_ to be stronger than that. "I didn't even try. The second I realized I had two vampires in my bedroom, I gave up."

"Is that right?" Peter challenged in a low voice and leaned in, stopping a breath away from her face. "Tell me," he whispered, "did ya beg, Bella? Did ya get down on your knees for her?" Bella stopped breathing, her veins turning to ice at the mere thought. "Did ya plead for your miserable life and ask her for mercy?" His eyes darkened a little more with every word. "Tell me, Bella, did ya give the bitch that satisfaction?"

She stared at him for a second in silence. Heart in her throat, she jerkily shook her head. Unsurprised, Peter chuckled darkly, "So ya didn't fight, but neither did ya fold. Do you think that's normal, sugar? 'Cause in my experience, most humans beg."

Stunned, Bella blinked slowly, finally beginning to understand why he felt she was brave. She would've accomplished nothing by fighting against Victoria and her friend. Common sense told her she would've just hurt herself in the end. That didn't mean Bella had given up, though. She'd fought the only way she could, by refusing to give Victoria the satisfaction of hearing her beg.

Noticing her small epiphany, Peter leaned back and flashed her a vindicated grin. A weight lifted from her chest when he finally retreated. Relieved, she inhaled deeply, feeling like she could finally breathe again now that the lethal vampire was no longer crowding her.

"Now, I ain't sayin' ya don't have the worst damn luck I've ever seen, sweetheart, 'cause ya do, but you're definitely no coward. Even now, I smell no fear on you and I'm guessin' she didn't dump ya here without tryin' her damnedest to scare the hell outta ya first. In fact, I'm thinkin' they even told ya about the vampires who run this territory before they dropped ya in the heart of it. Am I right?"

Bella nodded in agreement, her eyes alight with dark humor, "Maria and the leader of her army, the 'famed Major of the South.' They made sure I knew that Maria's ruthless and told me that Jasper would likely kill me, if not now, then a year from now, and here I am." She looked at him dryly and whispered, "Now I'm Peter's midnight snack."

"You do smell awfully good," he added helpfully, his eyes twinkling with mirth. Bella let out a delighted laugh, more than a little amused. Peter smiled at the sound of it and sat down next to her, remarking, "It's mighty nice to hear someone actually laughin' before I bite her. So much better than a scream."

"I bet," Bella agreed, trying not to notice how he still didn't trust her enough to let go of her arm. Sobering, she whispered, "I'm not ready to die, Peter."

Peter's grip subtly tightened around her wrist. He gave her a searching look and slowly started to relax, satisfied by something he saw in the depths of her sad eyes. Gently sweeping a thumb over her pulse point, he nodded at her in understanding.

"Before I do this," he cautioned, "don't tell anyone back at camp 'bout the vampires ya know up north. It wouldn't end well for you and I want ya to stick around."

"Okay," Bella quietly agreed. Peter nodded gratefully and lifted her wrist, making it clear that he intended to bite her over the scar James left behind. By replacing the mark with one of his own, he would be erasing the proof that Bella had encountered vampires before, which she had a feeling was the point. He hesitated a second and Bella couldn't help teasing, "I don't think I can laugh, but I'll try not to scream."

Peter grinned and looked at her with amusement, "I'd like to see ya try. Never seen a human change without screamin'. You'd baffle 'em all."

Bella started to laugh and he struck like a snake, taking advantage of her uplifted mood to sink his razor sharp teeth into her flesh. She flinched in surprise and gritted her teeth, hissing out, "Asshole!"

She meant it too. Bella really didn't swear often, but this time she felt entirely justified.

Though she got the distinct impression that he was amused, Peter ignored her, concentrating on flooding her veins full of venom. When he was done with that wrist, he moved onto the other and finished with her ankles. He avoided her neck on purpose and Bella suspected he was too afraid he'd give into the temptation to drain her dry if he tried it. She knew her blood was sweeter than most and drinking from her neck was likely an invitation too risky to accept.

By the time Peter finally pulled back, Bella was glaring furiously at him. Not the least bit intimated, he chuckled apologetically, "Sorry, sweet pea. Just wanted to bite ya before ya tensed. Pain's worse that way."

Bella wanted to call him a whole slew of bad names, but kept her mouth clenched firmly shut. Peter gave her an expectant look, like he was counting down the seconds until she broke, but Bella wouldn't indulge him by complying. She flat out refused to scream.

She was tired of people underestimating her. It was high time she started proving them wrong.

Looking impressed, Peter gingerly scooped her up and started running back to camp. Wincing, Bella rested her head on his shoulder. The running jostled her, causing the burning sensation creeping up her limbs to spike. Trembling from the pain, she let out a low moan of protest and Peter taunted, "Sounded awful close to a scream there, sugar."

Bella glared at him again and very pointedly closed her eyes, just like she did when he first found her. Idly listening to Peter chuckle, she focused on running through as many human memories as she could. She hadn't forgotten what the Cullens had told her about how human memories often faded during the change. Her very survival could one day depend on what she could remember from the future, so she was determined to retain as much of it as she could.


	4. Hope Floats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter brings Bella back to the newborn camp. Jasper makes a baffling discovery about their newest recruit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing. Twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm just a writer who likes putting Bella in dangerous situations. Good thing she's an adrenaline junky.

Peter

It didn't take Peter long to get Bella back to the abandoned farm Maria's newborn army had converted into their base camp. The farmhouse itself was Maria's domain and Peter purposefully avoided it, unwilling to show her the girl he hadn't planned on changing until he spoke with the Major first. Getting Jasper's approval would practically guarantee that Bella was given the chance to complete her change.

For the first few years, they'd been forced to train in the barn after sunrise, but then Jasper found a small canyon hidden on one of the back acres of the property. The canyon provided shade during the daylight, so they could train outdoors even when it was sunny outside. They set up several stolen army tents for downtime towards the south end of it and then decided to use the barn for changing humans. They even dismantled it and rebuilt the barn halfway between the canyon and the farmhouse, keeping it far enough away that the screams of changing humans and racing heartbeats wouldn't tempt the more volatile newborns or get on Maria's nerves.

Peter stopped just outside the barn door and looked over the vampire posted there with a critical eye. Though he knew the barn was currently unoccupied, they usually kept a man there in case anyone brought back a recruit they hadn't planned on changing, like a potentially gifted human.

"Felipe," he called and the man straightened up, "think ya can handle this li'l gal's scent? She's abnormally sweet."

One tentative sniff and the rapid darkening of his eyes was all it took for Peter to decide he couldn't risk leaving Bella alone. Felipe's gaze honed in on the bloody soles of Bella's feet and Peter slowly backed away, his temper flaring when Felipe shadowed him, matching him step for step. Stopping his advance with a menacing warning growl, he sent Felipe off to the canyon, "Go tell the Major I've got a new recruit for him to look at. Don't let any of those undisciplined assholes anywhere near this barn for the next three days, ¿entiendes? I'm holdin' you responsible."

Felipe scurried off and Peter lightly kicked the door open before setting Bella down on one of the cots inside. They'd just finished changing a new wave of recruits last month, so Bella had the place to herself. It was probably the first stroke of genuine luck she'd had all night and he found himself chuckling at the thought.

"You're not gonna believe this, sugar, but ya got the whole barn to yourself. Lucky break, Bella," he joked, grabbing a pitcher of water and a handful of rags from a table they kept in the corner. After rinsing the blood from her feet and the places he bit her, he bagged the bloody rags and tossed it near the door to dispose of later.

Once he was finished cleaning her up, he grabbed a stool. Setting it up against the wall about ten feet away from her, he sat down and settled in to wait. Occasionally, Bella would moan, Peter would taunt her about how close to a scream it was, and the labored sound of her heartbeat filled the silence in between.

Peter could sense it the second his sire showed up about an hour later. It was a habit for the man to pump out waves of authority and submission for the newborns and, occasionally, he forgot to tone it down. Peter had learned long ago not to react until Jasper decided to make his presence known. He usually liked to get a feel for the situation first by standing back and observing, a habit Peter had picked up sometime over the last twenty odd years or so.

A smile ghosted across his face when he remembered how Bella had reacted to it in town. He'd been waiting to see what she would do, thinking she'd take off running. She shocked the hell out of him by sitting down instead, stubbornly waiting for him to make the first move. Peter was so surprised by her actions that he'd failed to react at all until she started to smile. That was when he realized she was actually amused by their silent standoff and decided he wanted to meet her.

Bella let out a loud groan and Peter chided, "Them noises of yours just keep gettin' louder and louder, brown eyes. It's gonna be a scream before ya know it and I will never let ya live that down. _Never,_ ya hear me? I will taunt ya for eternity."

Jasper chuckled quietly and finally entered the barn. Peter got to his feet with a grin and asked, "She agitated? I bet she is. Girl's gotta be gettin' ready to snap at me." Jasper nodded, sending him her irritation, and Peter grinned wickedly. He intentionally spoke at a volume she could hear, loudly calling out, "It's her own damn fault, though! She promised me she'd try not to scream."

Jasper eyed Peter with interest before motioning towards her hand, where Bella was shooting Peter a very unladylike hand gesture. With the amount of pain she was in, it was honestly surprising that she had enough control over her body to even do it. Peter let out a shocked laugh at the sight, just as surprised as Jasper was. Hearing the laugh, Bella relaxed her hand before balling it up again into a clenched fist.

"I was wonderin' why she was so quiet. She really promised you she'd try not to scream?" Jasper asked and paused, turning his head sharply in Bella's direction. He stared hard at the petite girl, the features of his face settling into a puzzled expression.

"What is it?" Peter wondered. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen Jasper look that way before and it left him feeling a tad uneasy.

"Her emotions shifted..." Jasper began and trailed off before stepping closer to the cot. "What she's feelin' right now isn't normal." He trained his eyes on her face and questioned, "Why did ya change her, Peter? We've already got a full outfit."

To any of the others, that would've sounded like disapproval, but Peter knew better. Jasper was genuinely curious. After spending decades together on the battlefield, Jasper had learned to trust Peter's instincts and knew he wouldn't have changed the young woman without a good reason. He just couldn't figure out what that reason was.

And Peter knew his explanation couldn't be the only thing the man was curious about. Jasper had to be itching to find out why Bella would've promised anything to Peter, the vampire that bit her. The humans they changed weren't exactly willing victims, so this was the first time Jasper had witnessed anything even remotely close to a positive interaction between a vampire and a changing human.

"Somethin' told me I needed to head for the heart of town," Peter explained. "Found this li'l gal there, stumblin' down the road, soakin' wet and barefoot. She ain't much to look at right now, a li'l on the small side, but there's somethin' about her that told me changin' her would be worth it. Girl's got a fighter's heart."

Bella's clothes were still damp, but Peter knew the cool, wet fabric would actually be good for her at the moment. It would feel amazing against her skin, giving her just the tiniest bit of relief from the burning of the change.

"She's thin," Jasper agreed, studying her with appraising eyes, "but ya know the venom will change that, restore her muscles and fill out her frame. The bruises around her mouth, they from you?"

Peter shook his head and Jasper lifted an eyebrow at him in surprise, no doubt wondering what Bella had gone through before he crossed paths with her. He could practically see Jasper's wheels turning, trying to come up with some kind of scenario that could explain the state Peter had found her in. It wasn't every day that a pretty girl stumbled into town barefoot, soaked, and bruised, let alone in the middle of the night.

Shifting uncomfortably, Peter cautiously glanced around and asked at a level too low for Bella to hear, "We alone here, Major? Because I've got a hell of a story for you. She ain't gonna be your typical newborn."

"We should be," Jasper murmured and closed his eyes to focus on extending his gift. "Her blood's too sweet for the other newborns to tolerate. A handful of 'em tried to tear Felipe's shirt off when he got down to the canyon. Damn near started a riot." Peter winced, shaking his head at Felipe's folly. He'd assumed the idiot would wash Bella's scent off before approaching the canyon. "I ordered 'em all to keep away from the barn."

Satisfied when he sensed no one nearby, Jasper nodded and opened his eyes. Trusting him to pump anyone curious enough to eavesdrop full of the need to flee or something similar, Peter recounted what happened when he went hunting, telling him everything from the second he'd found her bloody footprints to the moment he bit her. He told Bella not to mention the covens up north, but he didn't intend to keep that from Jasper. Peter had a good feeling about it, though, and Jasper needed to know that vampires were both capable of coexisting peacefully and actually did outside of Texas and Mexico.

When he was finished, Peter added one final thing, "There's also somethin' that she left out and I'm not sure why. I don't know what it means."

"Left out?" Jasper asked sharply, immediately concerned. If Bella had left something out, then there was something she wanted to hide. "Think she could be a plant of some kind?"

They'd never encountered a human with knowledge of their kind before, let alone a planted spy. Since there were no guarantees she'd retain her human memories or that they'd even change her in the first place, it seemed unlikely.

Peter shook his head, "No, nothin' like that. I got a good feelin' about her, actually. She's gonna be important for some reason." He walked over to Bella's cot and waved Jasper closer. Once the empath was standing beside him, he gestured towards Bella's clothes and quietly asked, "Ever seen clothes like that, Major? There's actual writin' on that shirt she's wearin' and I ain't ever seen anythin' like it before. And look at her collar, ain't that a li'l too fancy to do with a basic needle and thread? The stitchin's more complex than any I've ever seen. Not to mention that them britches she's wearin' definitely ain't somethin' I'm familiar with."

While Peter had noticed there was something strange about her clothing the second he laid eyes on her, he didn't take note of those minor details until he was washing the blood from her body. Most human women didn't wear pants, they wore floor length dresses or long sleeved blouses and bell skirts. The wealthier ones also wore loosened corsets or had them built into their blouses. From the quality of the fabric Bella was wearing, he assumed she was wealthy, but the entire style was off. Even if she just wore them to bed as nightclothes, which he knew was a distinct possibility, Peter still found them odd. He hadn't the faintest idea where she could've gotten clothing like that.

Jasper crouched down next to Bella as he ran his eyes over her outfit. Reluctant to touch her while she was still changing, he hesitated for a second and gently warned her, "Bella, I need to take a look at the clothes you're wearin'-"

Her body immediately tensed and her pulse skyrocketed. She must've panicked, because Jasper quickly wrapped his hand around her wrist and started to feed her all the calm he could muster, so much so that Peter had to take a step back or risk being affected by his ability too. Though her body instantly submitted to the emotion and relaxed, the brunette reacted to the forced calm in a way that startled both men.

The second the sensation started to wash over her, Bella's eyes snapped open. Pained brown irises locked with deep red ones and Jasper stilled, looking for all the world as if her gaze had somehow paralyzed him. Peter watched the unnerving interaction in silence, almost pitying his sire for having the bad luck of being caught in her stare. He knew from experience that just one look from those dark, soulful eyes could make a man question his place in the world.

There was a very specific reason why it was so hard not to be affected by those deep pools of chocolate; Bella carried her heart in her eyes. It was something Peter had noticed about her the moment they met. Her alarm, anguish, despair, regret... he could see it all the second they locked gazes. They spilled out of her as if she felt so strongly that her very being overflowed with the emotions that held her within their grasp.

It was an incredibly human trait and one that Peter lamented the inevitable loss of. Thanks to the venom burning its way through her veins, the only way they'd be able to read those eyes soon was when they darkened with bloodlust or anger.

"Bella, I'm not tryin' to scare you, but you need to calm down. Peter and I aren't gonna hurt you," Jasper said in a patient tone before that odd, puzzled look spread across his face again.

Peter barely registered his reaction, entranced by the way Bella's eyes seemed to soften at the sight of his sire. Her gaze roamed over Jasper's face with a hint of amazement, as if she couldn't quite believe he was real. A beat passed, maybe two, before the acidic burn of the change briefly stole her attention away, making her eyelids flutter in pain. With a visible shudder, she forced them open again and fixed her eyes on him one final time, a look of concentration sweeping across her features.

Casting a surprised glance at Peter, Jasper gradually reduced the calm he was sending to Bella. He watched her closely as he slowly released her wrist, looking astonished when she managed to remain calm all on her own. Her eyes lingered on the empath's face for a moment longer before keeping them open became too much of a strain. Reluctantly, she finally allowed them to close.

"What just happened?" Peter asked in confusion, slowly returning to Bella's side.

Jasper seemed too stunned to reply at first. An entire minute passed in silence before his lips slowly started to curl into a rare smile that Peter couldn't quite believe he was seeing. He could count on one hand how many times he'd seen Jasper smile like that. It wasn't the dark smile he often gave a cocky newborn or the taunting smirk Peter had watched him flash an opposing army, it was a genuine, honest-to-goodness _smile_.

"I can't fathom why, but she's pushin' me trust," Jasper explained and Peter's eyebrows shot heavenward. For someone who claimed not to know Jasper, he found it mighty interesting that Bella knew how to send him her emotions. By pushing, Jasper meant she was deliberately focusing on one emotion, intentionally strengthening the trust she wanted him to feel. "Like I said, there's somethin' off about her emotions. She also finds my voice reassurin' and she shouldn't."

"Huh," Peter unintelligently replied. He was at a loss, just like Jasper was. "How much?" he finally asked and Jasper raised an eyebrow at him in question. "How much does she trust ya, Major?" he clarified.

Jasper studied Bella in silence for a moment before looking up at him in confusion, "With her life. She trusts me just as much as you do." He looked at her again and muttered, "More than Maria does."

Peter crouched down next to him, eyeing Bella with a baffled expression, "That don't make a lick of sense. She said the petty redhead made sure she knew you'd probably kill her, 'if not now, then a year from now.'"

"Well, she doesn't believe it, not entirely," Jasper said contemplatively and rubbed his jaw for a moment in thought. "Her emotions are cautious. She can sense that we're both dangerous, but that caution... it's not her strongest emotion."

"What's her strongest emotion?" Peter asked, getting the feeling that it was important.

"I don't know what it is," Jasper admitted and looked at Peter. "I haven't felt anythin' like it before, not since my change. Nobody's ever felt it on this farm."

"Send it to me," Peter encouraged. He was guessing that it was a lighter emotion, which was why Jasper wouldn't recognize it. A newborn army wasn't exactly the best breeding ground for positive emotions, especially since the majority of their newborns never lived longer than a year.

Jasper closed his eyes for a second, focusing on the emotion he felt from Bella. Peter sucked in a surprised breath when it finally washed over him, easing a tension deep inside him that he hadn't even been aware of. For the first time in decades, he felt like life was going to change for the better, that things were finally looking up. And that thought was all he needed to understand what Bella was feeling.

"That's her dominant emotion?" Peter asked in awe. She'd looked so defeated when he told her that he couldn't let her go free that he never expected her emotions to turn around so completely. He didn't understand it.

"Yeah," Jasper nodded. "She started feelin' it when I asked you about her promise not to scream. You recognize it?"

"I do," Peter confirmed. "And I understand why ya haven't felt it around here before. I don't really understand why Bella's feelin' it now." He looked at Jasper and explained, "She's feelin' _hope_."

Jasper's brow creased as he turned back to look at the girl on the cot, his expression unsettled. It was more than a little sad that Jasper couldn't recognize that emotion anymore, but Peter understood why he couldn't. The last time Jasper felt it, he was a human himself. Feeling emotions firsthand as a human was different from being able to sense them from others as a vampire. Jasper had to literally relearn every emotion that he encountered.

Looking at the girl who just reintroduced him to hope, Peter had a sneaking suspicion Bella was about to bring out a whole torrent of emotions that Jasper wouldn't recognize.

"Her clothes," Peter reminded him and Jasper nodded, abandoning the topic of Bella's bizarre emotions for now.

"I wanted to check the back of her shirt for more writin'," Jasper explained, talking at a level that Bella could hear. "Bella, Peter's gonna help me take a look at your back real quick. I'll be fast, but I'm afraid it's still gonna hurt."

Sadly, Jasper couldn't sense or manipulate physical pain. His gift was limited to the manipulation of emotions and the excruciating pain Bella was currently experiencing was definitely not an emotion. The most he could do to alleviate that pain was to pump her full of so much weariness and lethargy that she fell asleep. Sedating her like that, however, was a last resort. She needed to learn how to cope with the pain now or she wouldn't survive the next few weeks, let alone the entire year.

The fact that she had yet to scream boded well for her, though. If Bella kept it up, it would make her the toughest newborn Peter and Jasper had ever seen.

Jasper waited for some kind of unspoken confirmation from Bella before nodding at Peter. Getting to his feet, he walked around to the other side of the cot and gently pulled her right shoulder and hip towards him, allowing Jasper to get a good look at her back. Bella cried out in agony and Peter grimaced, feeling more than a little guilty for moving her during the change. He was proud of her, though. Even that cry was nowhere near a scream.

His attention was stolen away from her when Jasper suddenly froze, stilling unnaturally. Disbelief, amazement, and surprise abruptly slammed into him harder than a rowdy newborn, making him tighten his grip on Bella on reflex. Her startled whimper of pain shook Jasper out of his astonishment and he met Peter's questioning eyes for a second before telling him to set her down.

"We need to destroy this shirt, Peter," Jasper said quickly. "Go get her another from the supply shed. She can keep the pants, but the shirt needs to be burned."

While Peter was confused, he didn't hesitate to follow the order and took off towards the supply shed at a sprint. By the time he made it back, Jasper had already torn her shirt off and laid his own across her chest.

Pausing at the sight, Peter frowned. Though he hadn’t been gone long, there was a new, heavy tension in the air that told him that he'd missed something.

His crimson eyes quickly honed in on the hand Jasper was resting on her shoulder before taking in the rare look of regret on his face. Concerned, Peter realized he was keeping her sedated. There was still a teardrop sliding down the flushed skin of her face and he gently wiped it away before asking, "What happened?"

"She wanted to keep it," Jasper explained and tossed the torn shirt at Peter, who caught it easily. "It must be her father's or somethin'. There was a familial connection of some kind and it appears this shirt is all she's got left. It's all she has from her human life."

That honestly didn't surprise him. When Peter spoke to Bella earlier, it sounded like her one regret was not getting the chance to tell her father goodbye. She obviously loved him dearly, so it would've hurt her to part with the only thing she had left of him. It wasn't hard for Peter to picture her reacting badly to that loss.

"And she can't keep it because it needs to be burned," he said slowly as he handed the spare shirt over to Jasper, the question implied in his tone.

"Look at the writin' on the back," Jasper said in explanation as he gently tugged one of Bella's arms through the sleeve of the shirt Peter grabbed.

Peter flipped it over curiously and looked at the print, his eyes going wide in shock. On the back was an emblem of some sort with the words " _Forks Police Dept._ " in elegant script across the top and " _Established in 1945_ " across the bottom.

"Holy shit," he choked out, nearly dropping the shirt in surprise. Amused, Jasper let out a low chuckle. "How in the Sam hell?! But... how did she get here? _Why_ is she even here?"

"I'm guessin' the petty redhead and her Mexican friend have somethin' to do with it," Jasper replied, his tone dry. "Apparently there's a vampire in the future with a rather remarkable gift."

"Bella said the redhead wanted her to suffer," Peter murmured in realization. Sending her to a time and territory defined by war sounded like a pretty damn good way to ensure that happened.

Jasper glanced up at him before focusing on Bella's face, his eyes gleaming with understanding. The redhead had sent her here purely out of spite. This was revenge, pure and simple, and Peter swore he saw a flicker of genuine pity in Jasper's eyes. Bella shouldn't have been here, she should've been somewhere far away from this time and place, somewhere safe, but there was nothing they could do about that now. She was already well into the change, becoming a newborn in a territory where newborns were considered expendable.

Peter couldn't stop the crushing wave of guilt that rolled through him if he tried. He knew that Bella didn't blame him for changing her, but it didn't ease his conscience any. A hateful enemy of hers had sent her here in hopes that she'd be recruited and Peter had done exactly that. He'd unintentionally granted the redhead the brutal revenge she craved on an undeserving girl. It was the first and only time he'd ever felt truly guilty about changing someone.

Still, he already knew what Bella would say if she could see just how guilty he felt and made a conscious effort to let that guilt go.

_You can't run with vampires and not expect to get bitten._

"Burn it, Peter," Jasper instructed, his thoughtful gaze still trained on Bella. "This stays between us. She's just another newborn, understand?"

Peter was surprised by that, but wisely kept his questions to himself. Looking at the shirt in thought, he tore a long strip off the bottom before getting what he needed to torch the rest.

"What are you doing?" Jasper asked as Peter tucked the strip into the pocket of Bella's odd, stretchy pants.

"You said it's probably the only human momento she has," Peter explained with a shrug, "so I tore off a part without any writin' on it. She can use it to tie her hair back or somethin'. The scent might help when she's anxious too, especially considerin' what the petty redhead did. I know we all have to give up our human lives when we change, Major, but this girl's been thrown back in time on top of it. It ain't much, but I just thought she might need somethin' familiar."

Jasper didn't object, so Peter just assumed it was okay and started to burn the rest, all the while trying to keep the smile off his face. He wasn't sure what it was about Bella, but she was already changing things around here. Jasper didn't hide things from Maria often, if ever, but Peter _knew_ he had no intentions of sharing Bella's true origins with her. For whatever reason, Jasper wanted to protect Bella and if Maria learned she wasn't from their time, her greedy nature would take over. She would try to use whatever Bella might know about the future to her advantage, which was just plain dangerous.

Bella knew it too. She'd been very careful about how she explained things to Peter, so she was keenly aware that anything she said could end up effecting the course of history. Some knowledge was just not meant for vampires to have.

After the shirt had been reduced to ash, Peter helped Jasper dress her in the new one and then sat down beside him while Jasper buttoned it up one handed. He noticed that Jasper was still sedating Bella with his other hand and was idly wondering how long he was going to keep it up when something else occurred to him.

"You think she knows ya?" Peter asked, keeping his voice low. "Where she's from?"

Now that he thought about it, Bella had never outright said that she didn't know Jasper. That was just the assumption he made when she told him Jasper wouldn't know who she was. It would make sense that Bella knew how Jasper's gift worked if she'd met him in her time. Jasper didn't know Bella, but Peter suspected that _she_ knew _him_.

Surprised by the question, Jasper turned to look at him and Peter explained, "It's just that... she thought I was you at first. When she finally got a good look at my face, she said, 'You're not Jasper.' I didn't think 'bout it before, but how did she know I wasn't you unless she knows what ya look like?"

Jasper shifted his gaze back to Bella, looking deep in thought. If Bella actually knew Jasper and, at this point, it seemed highly likely that she did, it stirred up a whole heap of questions that neither man could answer. For starters, it was incredibly hard to reconcile the fact that Bella knew Jasper on a first name basis with the knowledge that the coven she met was a peaceful, compassionate one. If she'd met Jasper through that coven, then did that mean he was going to walk away from this life one day? The possibility alone brought on another tidal wave of questions that Peter doubted Bella would ever answer, not when she'd been so evasive about her trip through time.

Still, Peter couldn't help but wonder what would happen to make Jasper walk away from Maria's army. He was a tough son of a bitch and Peter loved him like a brother, but if there was one thing that could bring about his downfall someday, it was Jasper's loyalty. The man was loyal to a fault and felt like he owed Maria for changing him and letting him live past his newborn year. There was even a time when Jasper fancied himself in love with the woman. He killed for her on a daily basis and Peter knew he would've taken Maria as a mate long ago if it were possible.

Alas, Maria had already mated and lost her mate long before she brought Jasper into her world. That painful discovery was why Jasper no longer visited her bed.

So what was going to happen in the future that would make Jasper leave this army behind? What could make him question that loyalty and finally cut those ties? Jasper was a man who thrived on war, who lived for it, so it was hard to imagine that he'd ever willingly walk away, let alone seek out a peaceful coven. Was Maria going to turn on him one day? Was she going to try to kill him? Or would Maria, herself, eventually tire of this life and simply release him? Was it even Maria who would drive him away or would something else entirely bring about Jasper's desire to leave?

Peter stared at Bella in thought as reality finally came crashing down around him, his eyes absentmindedly following a bead of sweat as it slid down the elegant slope of her neck. He shook his head at himself, amazed at where his thoughts had taken him, all because the woman in front of him had said that he wasn't Jasper. She was definitely a fiery, little thing, the type of woman that could convince a man to believe anything was possible simply by existing. Her presence alone had opened up a whole new realm of possibilities that Peter had never dared to imagine before.

He couldn't even begin to guess at what Jasper must be thinking.

Peter had long since given up on getting an actual answer out of the man when Jasper finally spoke, the tone of his voice full of so much scorn that it startled him, "That would mean I join that coven up north, right? The one that left her behind?"

"The one that she wanted to join?" Peter countered. "The peaceful one that reminded her of a family? Ya mean that one? Sounded mighty nice to me."

"They still left her behind," Jasper said quietly and Peter abruptly realized that he'd been missing the point. It wasn't _his_ future that Jasper was focusing on, but on the role he'd played in her past. "They brought her into our world and then just left her to deal with a vengeful mate all on her own. She was only human, Peter. Bella loved that coven and look where that got her. Didn't end well for her, did it?"

Peter turned and stared at Jasper, amazed by his train of thought. While Peter was contemplating the possible reasons Jasper could leave, Jasper had been thinking about what this meant for _Bella_. She'd been hurt deeply by people she loved when that coven abandoned her and Jasper was having a hard time accepting the idea that he was one of those people. Bella wouldn't be here if that coven, Jasper included, had just changed her and taken her with them. In a very roundabout way, one could argue that it was his fault that Bella had been recruited into Maria's army.

"What's your point, Major?" Peter prodded. He felt for Bella, yes, but he couldn't see what good could possibly come from thinking like that. He couldn't understand why it was so important to him.

Jasper glanced at him before training his gaze on Bella again, "Just can't imagine a future where I would do that to someone who trusts me with her life."

Peter fell silent at that, immensely surprised to discover that Bella's trust mattered to Jasper. He was tempted to point out that Jasper had destroyed countless newborns who trusted him over the years, but knew that wouldn't be the honest truth. After thinking about it, he realized that none of the vampires Jasper had ended ever truly trusted him. They could never fully trust the man responsible for changing them and forcing them to fight in a war. Having someone trust him so completely, trust him enough to put her life in his hands, was a rarity for Jasper. Peter was the only other person who had taken that leap of faith and Jasper had returned that trust and loyalty tenfold by keeping him alive after the end of his newborn year.

Bella, Peter suddenly realized, hadn't just trusted him with her life, she'd given him that trust instantly. It'd taken months and the reassurance his gift provided him for Peter to fully trust Jasper. She was the first person to trust him so completely from the second he'd met her. It mattered. In fact, it mattered so much that Jasper resented his future self for betraying that trust by leaving her behind.

"Well, it hasn't happened yet, Major," Peter pointed out, simultaneously trying not to offend the empath with the strength of his relief. There'd been a few times when Peter wondered if Jasper would leave him behind someday. It didn't help matters any to realize that Bella had known Jasper's name, but hadn't known _his_. "Bella wasn't a vampire in that future. I've got a feelin' that'll change things. Nothing's gonna be the same."

At least he hoped so, because Peter didn't like the idea that Bella met Jasper in a future he was no longer a part of.

Doubtful, Jasper gave Peter the side eye. Aware the empath could sense his inner turmoil, Peter carefully avoided looking at him, desperately trying not to think about why Bella didn't meet him in the future. He was afraid of what it meant for his life expectancy.

Thankfully, his sire decided to let it go for now. Letting out a very human sounding sigh, Jasper gave Bella a considering look, "Let's just make sure she survives the present first."


	5. Eye Opener

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bella completes the change and finally learns what year it is. Peter and Jasper find themselves at a loss on what to do with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you sink your teeth into this chapter, I just wanna remind you all that newborn Bella is going to be very different than the one from the books. That Bella was surrounded by a loving family and an overprotective husband. She ultimately felt happy and safe. This Bella is not happy. She's grieving and she feels very alone. And she definitely does not feel safe. Even though she's seen Jasper and reacted positively to him, she's extremely cautious of who he is now. She trusts him on an innate level, which she proved during the last chapter, but her conscious mind keeps warning her to be careful and guarded around him.
> 
> Her frame of mind going into the change is extremely important because it's going to impact her behavior. She was also very determined to prove she wasn't weak when Peter bit her. As we all know, vampires find it nearly impossible to change and Bella's no different, so expect a fiercer version of her from here on out. While some things about her will remain the same because she's still our Bella at heart, she's going to come across as a lot tougher and more predatory than she did in ‘Breaking Dawn.’ The circumstances of her change pretty much guarantee that.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing. The Twilight Saga belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm just a fan who prefers her Bella with a little more bite.

Peter

Deciding not to risk allowing any of the others around Bella until after she lost her human scent, Jasper left Peter in charge of guarding her throughout her change. To Peter's amusement, Bella never screamed, not even when Jasper finally stopped sedating her and they had to remind her of where she was. She stopped responding to his taunts an hour into the second day, so Peter just talked to her, passing the time by telling her stories of battles he'd fought at Jasper's side. He wasn't sure she could even understand him by that point, but he thought a familiar voice might help keep her calm.

What really surprised Peter were the random times Jasper dropped in. The emotions of newborns were often exhausting and it wasn't unusual for him to take small breaks throughout the day, but Jasper was starting to spend less and less of those breaks alone. Instead, he'd sit next to Bella for a couple minutes at a time, his eyes closed and his back resting against her cot. He hadn't spoken to her directly since he'd torn off her shirt, but he always said something to Peter whenever he visited loud enough for her to hear.

It took Peter a while to understand just what the man was up to before he finally figured out that the sound of Jasper's voice made Bella's emotions shift into something lighter. Whatever she was feeling whenever he spoke was soothing to the empath. Though he was careful to never reveal it to Bella or their soldiers, Jasper was drawn to her emotions and Peter couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not. While he was glad that Jasper could find some relief by focusing on her, those emotions were likely triggered by memories of Jasper in the future. He wasn't yet the man that he would be in Bella's time and Peter was concerned about how she'd react to him once her training started. He was equally concerned about how Jasper would react if Bella stopped feeling those positive emotions around him.

Most of the newborns were terrified of Jasper. Even Peter had been afraid of him for the majority of that first year. Like most soldiers fighting side by side in a war, the two of them had eventually developed a strong bond of brotherhood, but Jasper didn't treat the new recruits the same way he treated Peter. After over two decades of fighting at the man's side, Peter had become an equal in Jasper's eyes. He'd earned that respect and when nobody else was around, like the night Peter brought Bella back to the barn, Jasper treated him like a brother.

Bella had only ever heard Jasper speak to Peter, so what would happen when she finally saw Jasper in his normal role, the strict, unyielding commander of Maria's forces? How would she feel about Jasper then? And how would Jasper handle sensing it?

At the end of the second day, Maria visited the barn with Jasper at her side, deciding she wanted to take a look at the new recruit. Peter scrambled to his feet when he scented her approach and was standing at attention by the time they walked through the door.

"Capitán," Maria acknowledged as she glided into the barn. There was always a seductive edge to her voice that he would never get used to, turning every word she spoke into a sensual purr.

"Mistress," he formally replied, bowing his head in greeting.

"So this is the new recruit," Maria remarked as she stopped at Bella's side. "Major Whitlock tells me you had one of your intuitive feelings about her," she said casually, gazing at Bella's trembling body with calculating eyes.

"Yes, mistress," Peter confirmed, glancing at Jasper. Though he didn't know what his brother had ultimately decided to share with Maria, he strongly suspected that Jasper mentioned nothing of the long talk Peter had with the girl before he changed her.

"Why is she so quiet?" Maria demanded, her flawless face twisting into a look of severe displeasure. "Are you helping her, Major? Sedating her? She needs to be able to handle pain if she's to survive in our world."

"I'm not sedatin' her, Maria," Jasper defended irritably. He never liked it when she questioned him.

As if Bella could sense the look of doubt on Maria's face, she groaned loudly in pain, her teeth audibly grinding with the effort it took to keep a scream at bay. Maria's attention snapped back to Bella with renewed interest while Jasper explained, "That's all her doin'. She refuses to scream, even when Peter moves her. I've heard her cry out just once and nothin' more."

"Que fascinante..." she breathed and the two men shared an uneasy look. "I believe you were right to change her, Capitán. She will be useful to me."

Peter felt his stomach twist at those familiar words. She'd said something similar about both him and Jasper back when they were changed, which meant she was already making long term plans for Bella. Though he and Jasper never actually voiced the thought, they'd been hoping Maria wouldn't take a special interest in her. It would be safer for Bella if she didn't, especially after they learned she was from a different time.

"She's a pretty, little thing," Maria commented offhandedly. "Una chica hermosa, ¿no? You may have to remind the others what happens to soldiers who take a mate, Major."

Peter forced himself not to react to the sudden undercurrent of tension that swept through the barn. A tension that Maria, thankfully, seemed oblivious to. He had no romantic designs on Bella, but he definitely had a soft spot for the girl and wanted to protect her, as much as it was possible to protect a recruit anyway. Jasper, to Peter's surprise, had also shown signs of an urge to protect her and he knew Jasper was feeling every bit as tense as he was. They both knew all too well how instinct driven the male newborns were and Maria was right, Bella was extremely attractive. They were going to have to keep a sharp eye on the other newborns anytime they were around her.

The brown eyed beauty really hadn't been much to look at when Peter first met her. He'd even told her so. Her blood had smelled clean and delicious, but she'd _looked_ weak and unhealthy. She was unnaturally pale for a human, almost sickly, her clothes hung too loosely from her thin frame, and her face had looked tired and drawn. A dark, garish bruise in the shape of a handprint had started to develop around her mouth and the circles beneath her eyes were so dark that Peter almost thought they were bruises too.

Now that his venom had been running through her veins for two full days, her appearance had changed drastically. Her skinny frame had already filled out. Instead of looking unnaturally thin, her body now possessed a whole wealth of sensual curves. Her skin had begun to lose its imperfections, taking on an entrancing ivory tone that would look nearly luminescent by the time she was finished. The harsh lines of her thin, heart shaped face had also softened and her dull brown hair was starting to darken into a rich sable color with burgundy lowlights. She was an entirely different creature now and she wasn't even done changing yet.

Peter hadn't realized just how beautiful Bella must've been when she was healthy and well fed, because she was downright gorgeous now and that wouldn't have been possible unless she was a natural beauty. All vampires were attractive, yes, because the venom enhanced their best features and erased their flaws, but _enhanced_ was the key word. The venom couldn't create anything that wasn't already there, it just built upon what was. The breathtaking beauty that Bella now possessed meant she must've been quite stunning at some point. It made him wonder why she'd been so gaunt and frail looking the night he met her.

He also knew he wasn't the only one who'd been surprised by the changes in her appearance. Halfway through her second day, Jasper had come in to sit with her again, only to freeze mid step the second he laid eyes on her. His gaze had darkened almost instantly and coasted downward, hungrily roaming over the rest of her body. Seemingly in a stupor, Jasper only snapped out of it when Peter loudly cleared his throat.

Despite his telling reaction to her changing appearance, Peter wasn't overly concerned about Jasper's attraction to Bella. He knew Jasper wasn't stupid enough to take her as a mate, not when Maria had mates put to death. The only thing that really concerned him was the risk that Maria might pick up on that attraction somehow. Jasper and Maria hadn't been lovers for five years now, but she was still abnormally possessive of him. She'd created him and thought that made him hers, body and soul. It didn't really matter to her that Jasper no longer visited her bed, he was still her Major.

"We'll remind them, Maria," Jasper agreed.

Maria nodded and tilted her head curiously as she scanned Bella's face once more, "The youngest newborns are just over a month old, ¿sí? Will you be able to catch her up to their level before our next engagement?"

"It depends on how much control she has when the change is complete," Jasper said honestly, deciding not to sugarcoat it. "The Captain and I can work with her one on one if she can focus long enough."

Maria turned, catching Peter's gaze, "And what do you think, Capitán? What does your intuition say?"

"That she won't be the typical newborn, mistress," Peter admitted. "What that means, I ain't sure."

Maria nodded thoughtfully and gestured for Jasper to join her as she started towards the door, "Keep me informed."

Jasper returned three more times to sit beside Bella over the course of the last day. Peter was still uneasy about it, but he kept his concerns to himself. Nothing about their behavior during Bella's change had been normal and they both knew it. Jasper had never visited the other changing newborns like he did with Bella, unable to handle the immense levels of hopelessness, misery, confusion, and fear they often felt, but Peter's actions were no less unusual. He'd never tried to distract the others from their pain and he did that with Bella. He wanted to offer her the comfort and reassurance of a familiar voice and he'd never cared enough about any of the others to do that before.

She was different and neither man wanted to acknowledge it. Instead, they'd come to a silent agreement not to point out just how oddly the other one was acting.

When Bella entered the last stage of the change, they waited together for her heartbeat to die. Impatient for her to wake up, Peter was pacing excitedly, his body practically buzzing with anticipation. Jasper watched him with thinly veiled amusement from the wall he was casually leaning against, his relaxed stance projecting a calm aura that had always served him best when dealing with waking newborns. Appearing too threatening would set them off, but acting submissive would only make it harder for Jasper to assert his authority later on.

Peter finally came to a stop about five feet away from her cot when her pulse started to race, a sign that the venom was attacking her heart. Bella's heart beat faster than the wings of a hummingbird for a split second before her back arched. A tortured scream ripped through the air, chilling him to the bone. Her heart gave one last, resounding thud before it stopped beating altogether and Bella finally collapsed back onto the cot.

Peter couldn't help but be a little awed by the girl. That was the one and only time she screamed during her change.

Instead of opening her eyes right away, he and Jasper watched in fascination as her fingers twitched before she slowly inhaled, tasting the different scents in the air. She appeared to be taking her time, waiting as long as she possibly could to open her eyes. Her obvious reluctance to do so was familiar to Peter, who observed her behavior with an expression of pure entertainment, a slow smile spreading across his face.

"Keepin' your eyes closed ain't gonna do you an ounce of good, sweetheart," he drawled when his patience finally ran out. "I thought I told ya that already."

Startled by the sound of his voice, Bella reacted immediately, springing up at an inhuman speed. She landed gracefully on the middle of the cot in a very catlike crouch, her bright red eyes trained on Peter with a preternatural intensity.

Peter hadn't exactly been in motion to begin with, but all movement instantly ceased the second she trained that predatory gaze on him. He suppressed a shudder as he stared back at her, unnerved by her singleminded focus. Most newborns had a hard time focusing at all after the change, but Bella clearly didn't have that problem. The calculating manner in which she studied him, as if she were lazily running through all the different ways she could take him apart, stole the very air from his lungs. There was an undeniable intensity to Bella, a certain animalistic lethality, that made her unlike any of the newborns they'd dealt with in the past.

Peter could still clearly remember her as the fascinating human girl he'd met, could still picture the lively flush of her cheeks and hear the beat of her heart, which made the inhuman change in her behavior so incredibly eerie. The venom had burnt away her humanity, like it did in every human allowed to complete the change, but Peter had never been so _aware_ of that fact before. The differences in her were stark and unyielding. There was no mistaking her for anything other than a predator now.

Thoroughly unsettled, Peter didn't so much as breathe as Bella's darkening eyes roamed over his body, her muscles tensing noticeably at the sight of his many battle scars. Jasper shifted in reaction, prepared to interfere if she attacked or tried to flee, and Bella's predatory gaze snapped in his direction. Just like Peter, the man stilled as the newborn studied him from head to toe. Then her attention was drawn to his face and something in her demeanor shifted. The black started to recede from her eyes and her muscles relaxed one by one until every muscle in her body was at ease. She then slowly straightened up and casually stepped off the cot, her feet hitting the ground with a gentle thud.

"Well, I'll be damned," Peter murmured in astonishment. He'd never seen a freshly risen newborn override the fight or flight instinct before.

"How did you do that?" Jasper demanded as he took a cautious step forward. Though he managed to keep his expression neutral, Peter knew the man was every bit as astonished as he was.

Bella tensed on reflex and they both watched her intently as she willed her muscles to slowly relax all over again. Her reaction assured them that it wasn't a fluke. She was actively forcing herself to ignore the need to fight or flee. Whether she was consciously aware she was doing it, however, was another matter entirely.

Bella unknowingly gave them the answer to that question when she tilted her head curiously, her confusion obvious. Her eyes trailed over Jasper's scars once more as she asked, "Do what?"

Jolting in surprise, Bella touched her throat with her fingertips. Her eyes widened in amazement over the change in her own voice. Peter chuckled at her, but was secretly just as amazed. It was a rich sound, but lower than he remembered, reminding him of the beautifully low tones his sister used to play on her viola back home. It was a shockingly sensual voice, sultry sounding, and oh so very smooth. Even Jasper paused in appreciation, though he didn't let it distract him from what he wanted to know.

"Ignore your instincts," Jasper clarified as he drifted closer, watching her muscles tense and relax with every careful step he took. "How are you doin' it? You're too controlled."

Bella's lips twitched and Jasper's eyes narrowed at the sight. A tension started to seep into the air that made Peter squirm uncomfortably. He wasn't sure who was the real danger in that moment, Jasper or the allegedly volatile newborn.

"You find me amusin'?" Jasper asked darkly. Peter internally cringed at the undisguised anger in his voice.

"No," Bella replied as she lowered her hand back down to her side, unknowingly pissing Jasper off even more. Wincing, Peter nearly bit his tongue to stop himself from asking why the hell she ever thought it would be a good idea to lie to an empath. Jasper could no doubt feel her amusement and would know she was lying straight to his face.

He was just beginning to fear the girl was dumber than she looked when Bella explained, "I'm amused that you think I'm the one who's too controlled. Every move you make is calculated, Jasper. Measured." His sire twitched in surprise at how casually she uttered his first name, as if she'd said it countless times before. "I bet your mind is racing with plans and contingency plans right now. You know the location of every exit in this room without even looking and you know exactly what you'd do if I made a break for one." Raising an eyebrow at him, she asked sardonically, "Do you really think _I'm_ the one who's too controlled?"

Peter wanted to laugh so badly it hurt, a fact that would've undoubtedly earned him a dark look from the resident empath if the man's eyes weren't currently glued to their baffling newborn. He'd been concerned about how Bella would react to learning that Jasper was a different man than the one she knew, but it turned out that he didn't need to be. She already knew Jasper wasn't the same man and it reminded Peter of what she told him the night he bit her, that Jasper wasn't "a friendly type of guy." His voice might've triggered warm emotions, but there were no blinders on her eyes and she wasn't fooling herself into believing Jasper was anything like the one she'd met in her time.

Even so, Bella was incredibly perceptive, which was an extremely unusual trait for a newborn to have. Instead of being easily distracted and unfocused, she was hyperaware of everything around her, _especially_ Jasper. It cracked Peter up because she'd barely spoken to the man and, apparently, she could already read him like an open book.

The Jasper she knew was a man of peace. This one was a man of war. Bella saw the difference easily.

"She's identified you as the biggest threat to her, Major," Peter noted with an amused grin, subtly explaining why she was analyzing his behavior. "Bella knows she'll never make it past ya."

It was incredibly impressive. Bella had somehow suppressed her fight or flight instincts in favor of studying Jasper's actions. One look at him was all she needed to see that fighting or fleeing would only end badly for her. At the same time, she wasn't behaving defensively, so she'd also somehow come to the unlikely conclusion that he wasn't going to attack her unprovoked, and Peter found that even more intriguing. He honestly wasn't sure if she'd arrived at that conclusion because of something she'd seen or because she recognized Jasper from the future and was letting her memories of him influence her decisions.

"He _is_ ," Bella confirmed, bravely risking a glance at Peter, "but that's not why I'm still here." Her gaze darted back to Jasper. "I'm not going _anywhere_ ," she stressed, her voice firm and uncompromising.

Jasper's guarded expression hadn't changed, but Peter could see the surprise in his eyes; she'd blindsided him. He'd warned Jasper that she wouldn't be the typical newborn, but even Peter hadn't expected things to go quite like this. Bella wasn't acting like any newborn they'd ever met before and neither of them were sure how to treat her now. She hadn't made even one threatening move towards either of them, but her eerie self control made her seem infinitely more dangerous than the typical newborn.

"You're sayin' that you wouldn't run for the door if ya thought ya could make it?" Jasper challenged, taking another cautious step towards her. "You've been changed for the express purpose of servin' in an army. Most newborns need a lesson or two before that sinks in."

Normally, they took advantage of the typical newborn's fight or flight instinct to bully them into submission and teach them who was in charge, but Bella hadn't given them that opportunity. She hadn't tried to run or attack and neither man would punish her unprovoked. They were in the business of war, not senseless torture, and attacking her to prove a point she already understood, that it was not okay to run from or attack her commanding officers, would've been senseless torture. As incredible as her ability to overrule her natural instincts was, it meant that they weren't sure what to do next. She was the first newborn they'd ever met who hadn't attacked or tried to run after completing the change.

Bella's face briefly flickered with sadness before she schooled her features and asked, "What would be the point? Where would I even go?" She let out a dejected laugh, "I'm a _vampire_ now." Jasper raised his eyebrows skeptically and Bella pointed out, "I'm not from here, Jasper. I was dropped in the heart of your territory. Even if I wanted to run, I don't know where I am or anyone around here."

"Or _when_ you are, right?" Jasper asked knowingly. Her eyes hardened in response and his lips started to lift into a darkly amused smile.

Refusing to answer that question, Bella watched him carefully in return, her brow creased in confusion. She obviously wasn't sure how Jasper knew that. If her expression were anything to go by, it left her feeling unbalanced, like she'd been caught flatfooted on uneven terrain.

"The shirt ya were wearin’," Peter hinted, drawing Bella's gaze, "it had _Established in 1945_ written on the back. That's why we had to destroy it."

She threw a quick glance at her shirt in surprise, belatedly remembering that someone had changed it. A brief flash of sadness and loss flickered across her face as she registered what that meant, that they'd destroyed the last physical tie she had to her father. Before she could become too overwhelmed by the loss, Peter pressed, "What year are ya from, Bella?"

"What year is it now?" she countered, not giving an inch. Peter glanced at his irritated sire, amused that she wasn't going to let him hold that over her.

Before Jasper could interfere, Bella seemed to sense his building displeasure. Looking at him earnestly, she compromised, "Look, I swear I'm not trying to be difficult, Jasper, but you have information that I clearly _need_ and I have information you do. How about we trade? A little quid pro quo." Peter could tell she was trying not to smile when she looked his way again, sensing that he was more likely to give her answers than Jasper was. With a wink, she damn near purred, "C'mon, Peter, show me yours and I'll show you mine."

"Shit," Peter coughed out in surprise, something he could confidently say he hadn't done since he was human. She had no idea just how seductive she sounded and he was a little afraid she was going to get his ass kicked. He hadn't missed how quickly Jasper's eyes had darkened when she used that tone. "Do women really talk like that in your time? Liable to give a man a heart attack with language like that."

Bella laughed and the musical sound made the lingering tension in the room fade. Despite his frustration with her, Jasper looked hypnotized by the sound of her laughter. Peter had heard her laugh a few days back, so he wasn't as enthralled as Jasper was, but he definitely still enjoyed it. It'd been years since either man had heard a genuine laugh, especially back at camp. For so long, their lives had been nothing but pain and death. A laugh like hers was a rare and beautiful thing.

"It's 1896," Peter finally offered, watching warily when Bella's face fell and her muscles tensed. He could tell that it was hard for her to hear and looked over at Jasper, noticing the matching tension in his shoulders. The emotions that Bella was currently working through were obviously intense.

"2005," she said finally, her voice so soft that Peter almost asked her to repeat it. "I'm from 2005. I was born in 1987." Her eyes took on a distinctly hazy, distant gleam. "Damn," she murmured, looking so utterly lost that Peter couldn't help but pity her, "my parents won't even be born for another 70 years."

There was a significant pause while Peter and Jasper absorbed that. They hadn't expected her to be from a time that far in the future. Hell, a part of Peter hadn't truly believed Bella was from the future at all. He wanted to believe there was an entirely different, _logical_ explanation for the shirt she'd been wearing and the things that she knew. He knew she was telling the truth, though. His gut, which Jasper and Maria were convinced was a key part of his gift, told him that she was being honest.

Peter shared a quick look of surprise with Jasper when he realized a beat later that she was only eighteen. They'd expected her to be older for some reason and had just assumed that Bella had aged well, that she looked younger than she actually was. She behaved so rationally, like someone with years of life experience, that it was hard to believe she wasn't in her twenties. Bella was more than old enough to be considered an adult with a family of her own by society's standards, but most women her age weren't as calm as she was. They were more impulsive, rasher, less poised. It wasn't often that someone so young showcased her level of maturity and control.

With a small shake of her head, Bella sighed heavily and looked at Jasper with a beautifully sad smile, "It looks like you're stuck with me, Jasper. I've got nowhere to be for at least a hundred years."

"What about that coven ya wanted to join?" Jasper asked, not quite ready to believe her. "Am I gonna turn around one day and find out you've taken off to look for 'em?"

Bella leveled Peter with an accusing look, quickly realizing he'd shared everything she'd confided in him with Jasper. Peter shrugged sheepishly and she glared at him for a second longer before sighing in defeat, "That's unlikely. They haven't been born yet either."

"None of them?" Jasper challenged, stepping closer. He was just three feet away from her now. Though he'd been subtle about trying to close the distance between them, Peter was sure that Bella still noticed. He had a feeling very little escaped her. Even so, she didn't appear to feel threatened. Surprisingly, she'd even stopped tensing every time Jasper moved.

"All but two," she said quietly, looking down at her feet. "Carlisle, the coven leader, was turned in the 1600s. I'm not sure where he is now, but I know he lived with the Volturi for a while. Probably best if I stayed away from Italy, don't you think?" she asked, glancing up at him before dropping her gaze again. "Hate to see what they would do with the things I know."

It was a logical argument, one that even made sense to a large degree, but the dejected look on her face told Peter that there was more to it than that. The coven she'd met, for all their peace and compassion, had left her behind in the future. For whatever reason, they didn't want her anymore and that rejection had left its mark on Bella. Jasper might've played a part in that decision, but it was obvious that he didn't feel that way about her now. Sure, she thought Jasper only wanted her to stay because he wanted to add her to the ranks, but that was enough for Bella. He wanted her around and that was all that really mattered to her. It was all she really needed.

It was a saddening realization to come to, that Jasper's desire to add Bella to the ranks would've been enough for her. It made Peter realize just how badly Jasper's future coven had torn apart her self-esteem. He didn't know why they’d abandoned her, but he made a silent vow to himself that he'd never do to her what they did. Peter liked Bella, he had from the moment he met her, and he'd never leave her behind.

"And the other one?" Jasper asked and Peter was stunned by the gentleness in his voice. He wasn't sure if Jasper had come to the same sad realization that he had, if he was being affected by an emotion that he was sensing from her, or if it was her submissive stance that had gotten to him, but something about her made him soften. Maybe it was even a combination of all three.

"I'm already with him," she whispered, raising her head to look him in the eye, "but you know that already, don't you, Jasper? You can probably feel it. I loved everybody in that coven. Still do, if I'm honest with myself, and that means _you_ can sense it. I knew you the least, but you're still the only family I've got left."

Her eyes darkened a shade as she closed that last bit of distance between them, an action that stunned them both. Boldly approaching a vampire with Jasper's scars wasn't something a normal newborn would do, especially one that had just given off such a submissive vibe. It was a calculating move, one that said she was aware that he'd been trying to get closer to her and that she wasn't afraid of him, "So if you're really determined to stay and play soldier, then don't worry about me trying to escape, because I'm not going anywhere _without_ _you_."

The sheer vehemence in her tone took them aback. Peter didn't need to be able to sense her emotions to tell how strongly she felt about it. Three days ago, he had to persuade her into letting him change her and bring her back to camp, but now she was determined to remain there until Jasper decided to leave. Clearly, something had shifted over the last three days.

Peter couldn't say what was responsible for the sudden change, but it sent a thrill of anticipation running through him all the same. She'd just set something into motion with that declaration and he had a very good feeling about it. While he wasn't sure what it meant or what changes were heading their way, he was excited to watch it all play out.

"You plan to stay willingly solely because _I'm_ here?" Jasper clarified, a hint of his amazement finally slipping through. They now understood why she didn't try to flee. "Even though that means goin' to war?"

Bella wasn't like their other newborns, which made her decision to stay all the more significant. She already knew that there was more to the vampire world than the territorial wars that defined their way of life. The others didn't leave because they didn't know any better. They mistakenly believed that the whole world was divided into feeding territories like theirs. Even Peter and Jasper hadn't known that covens outside of the South coexisted peacefully, which was something neither man had fully processed just yet.

Bella, on the other hand, had seen how northern covens lived with her own two eyes. She knew that a peaceful life awaited her if she could just find a way to escape, so deciding to stay with them instead was something that they both found difficult to wrap their heads around.

Bella's gaze shifted to Peter for a second before she locked eyes with Jasper again, "You don't know me yet, but you're _family_ to me. I _won't_ abandon my family."

The glance she'd given Peter was quick, but he got the message and it meant the world to him. For whatever reason, Bella had decided that he was family too.

Jasper's jaw visibly tightened, his tense reaction reminding Peter of the conversation they'd had when Bella was sedated. Bella wasn't accusing Jasper of anything and hadn't meant to hurt him, but Peter could tell that her words still stung. Jasper didn't like the idea that he would abandon her in the future, especially since it was obvious that being abandoned had wounded her deeply. It'd made such a big impact on her that she was willing to fight in a newborn war just to prove she wasn't like the family that left her behind.

"If that means waging war, then so be it," Bella decided, taking half a step back. "Just know that I'm not fighting for more feeding territory. I don't care about Maria's never ending desire for blood. That's not a worthy enough cause for me... but I'll fight for _you,_ Jasper. I'll fight to keep all I have left of my family alive. As long as you keep risking your neck, I'll be right here, risking mine." She swallowed hard and glanced at Peter again before adding softly, "Honestly, I can't really think of a better cause to fight for than family."

Jasper stood so still that he resembled a marble statue, not even daring to breathe as he tried to process her words. Peter had no idea what was going through the man's mind or how he felt about it, but he could feel his own respect and affection for Bella growing by leaps and bounds. She honestly couldn't care less about expanding their territory or the tempting blood that would come with it, but she was determined to stick around anyway. She wouldn't fight for blood, but she'd fight for the people she deemed kin.

Obviously, Jasper meant a lot to Bella back in her time and Peter found himself envying him in that moment. Not only had she just claimed Jasper as family, a rare connection neither man could say they'd truly experienced since they were changed, she was declaring her loyalty. Peter wished he knew what Jasper had done in the future to deserve it, what he'd done to earn that kind of loyalty from a woman like Bella. He had no doubt that it must've been something extraordinary.

Oblivious to the speechless state she'd left them in, Bella glanced down at the bite mark on her wrist and murmured, "It might be hard for you to believe that you'd ever risk yourself for a human, but you fought for me once too. Or, rather, you will." Meeting his eyes again, Bella wet her lips nervously and said in a low voice, "So listen closely, because I'm only going to say this one more time... Looks like you're stuck with me, Jasper."

Suppressing a snort, Peter quietly studied his sire's reaction. Jasper stared at her hard for a long moment, his eyes searching for something in her own. Bella didn't shy away from him, evenly holding his gaze. Whatever signs of submissiveness she'd shown had long since fled and, for a second, Peter truly wondered if he'd imagined it all. He could see now that it wasn't in her nature to give in easily, not when she felt truly passionate about something. He'd been right about her all along, she had the spirit of a natural born fighter.

For the first time in Peter's life, he watched Jasper look away first, finally breaking eye contact with her. He couldn't say he blamed the man, though, since he probably would've done the same if he were in Jasper's shoes. Bella's conviction was so strong that even Peter could sense it in the air around them. It'd been a long time since they'd met someone with a sense of conviction like hers and it was damn near impossible not to buckle in the face of it.

What amused Peter was that he doubted that Bella truly understood the significance of what she'd just done. In less than an hour, she'd managed to turn Jasper's world on its head. For decades, their lives had been centered on feeding and fighting alone. With the exception of the bond they'd developed as brothers in arms, family was a foreign concept to them both.

He knew from experience that Jasper needed time to wrap his head around the situation. The empath wasn't often surprised by people, but when he was he had to take a step back and analyze the situation from a distance, separating himself from the emotions involved. He took great pride in his ability to read people, it was his gift after all, but Bella was unlike anyone he'd ever dealt with before. Jasper could read her emotions all he wanted and he would still be no closer to understanding her.

Even Peter's ability wouldn't help them with that. All it told them was that she was different and that was something they could see quite clearly for themselves.

With that in mind, Peter wasn't really surprised when Jasper headed for the door, tossing out over his shoulder, "Take her to hunt, Peter. I need to report her level of control and lack of bloodlust to Maria."

"Lack of bloodlust?" Peter repeated, looking at Bella with sudden realization. She hadn't once mentioned her thirst and that _definitely_ wasn't normal. "Your throat doesn't burn, sweet pea?"

"No, it does," Bella disagreed and gingerly touched her throat, "but it isn't as overwhelming as I was told it would be. I can think around it." She looked at Jasper again, who was already across the barn by then. "Jasper," she called out and he paused, his hand on the door, "that coven you join? They feed on animals."

Jasper whipped around in surprise and Peter asked in a shocked tone, "Why the hell would he ever drink animal blood?"

Bella's eyes never strayed from Jasper while she explained, "Because Jasper feels every emotion the people he drinks from do. He feels their fear, panic, and desperation. He can sense their regrets and their pain. Emotionally, he feels their deaths as if they were his own. From what I’ve heard, animal blood isn't nearly as appealing as human blood, but it works. And it changes your eye color. Feed from enough animals and they'll eventually turn golden."

Peter stared at Bella, stunned. He knew Jasper had to take breaks from the overwhelming emotions of the newborns they trained, but he'd never given any thought to the emotions of the humans Jasper drank from. Bella obviously had, though. She understood what he went through every time he fed and wanted him to know that he had another option. Peter could tell it wasn't a purely unselfish act, she was hoping to benefit from animal blood too, but she still wanted to help him, to ease his burden.

With a nervous glance at Jasper, he knew immediately that this wasn't going to end well. Jasper kept things close to the vest, especially anything that could be perceived as a weakness. It was going to be hard for him to handle someone like Bella, someone who saw through his masks so easily. She understood him on a level that Peter hadn't known even existed and he couldn't see Jasper reacting well to that.

"You want to feed from animals," Jasper surmised, reading her emotional state. "Do ya know if there are any side effects? Would it weaken you?" He could sense the answer before she voiced it and dismissively shook his head, "We don't have the time it'll take to find out. Gotta have ya at your strongest."

Wincing, Peter turned to look at Bella as Jasper stepped out the door, letting it slam shut behind him. Stricken, Bella lowered her gaze as her eyes started to well with venom. She'd been hoping she wouldn't have to kill any humans and Jasper had shot down that hope before it'd even fully formed. What made it worse was the feeling Peter had that it had less to do with the possible side effects and more to do with how easily she'd gotten under Jasper's skin. Like a cornered animal, he'd lashed out and now Bella was suffering the consequences.

Looking at Bella, whose bright red eyes were brimming with tears that would never fall, Peter got the sense that she didn't fully comprehend what just happened. All she really understood was that Jasper was going to force her to feed from humans. If she wanted to soothe the burn in her throat, she'd have to kill and that was something she hadn't been mentally prepared for.

Peter felt her grief like a punch to the gut and gently touched her arm, his voice soft, "Bella."

Her eyes snapped up to his and he watched with a sadness all his own as she whispered furiously, "I'm going to survive this, Peter. I'm going to survive this because I have a date with a petty redhead a hundred years from now. And when that day comes, I'm gonna make her suffer for every human I have to drain."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> Capitán - Captain
> 
> Que fascinante... - How fascinating...
> 
> Una chica hermosa, ¿no? - A beautiful girl, no?
> 
> ¿Sí?- Yes?
> 
> That’s the last of my pre-written chapters, guys. Not sure when I’ll update next, but AO3 will email you every time I do if you hit the subscribe button. It took me forever to figure that out, so I’m sharing the knowledge.
> 
> Random question for my Spanish speakers- is que supposed to have an accent in “Que fascinante?” It is, isn’t it? For the life of me, I cannot remember and Google Translate has failed me. It showed me que with and without an accent.


	6. Angels and Demons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bella creeps Peter out with her control before having a crisis of conscience. Peter explains the camp rules to her on the run back to the farm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who haven't read my notes from ‘Thrill Seeker,’ heads up- I like to play around with the concept of mating in every ‘Twilight’ story I write. It changes from fic to fic.
> 
> This will be the last one from Peter's POV for a while. I didn't want to split Bella's hunt between two chapters, so it's basically two-in-one. We'll either hear from Bella or Jasper next.
> 
> Disclaimer: The Twilight Saga belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I just wanted to strand Bella back in time.

Peter

Bella Swan was a strange human. Peter thought she made an even stranger vampire.

He kept expecting her to snap, to suddenly start reacting like the countless newborns he'd encountered over the years. His gut told him that she never would, but that didn't stop him from expecting it. The longer she remained calm and collected, the more unnerved he grew. It was downright eerie how controlled she was.

There were moments, of course, when she behaved in a way that reminded him that she wasn't really the fully matured vampire she appeared to be, like the moment he finally coaxed her out of the barn. The girl's vision had improved so drastically that she was startled to learn that it was night out. What she previously thought were rays of sunlight filtering through the cracks of the barn's roof had actually belonged to the moon. Fascinated by the discovery, she'd gazed up at the starry night sky with so much pure wonder and awe on her face that it was a genuine shame Jasper wasn't there to sense it.

Those moments, however, were few and far between. For the most part, Bella took to her new state of being like a duck to water.

Peter took her to the far edge of a nearby town to feed, fully expecting her to snap and lunge for the closest human long before they got there. She never did, though, and he was more than a bit stunned when they neared the outskirts of town without incident. It wasn't until he deliberately took her down the street of a crowded saloon and she didn't so much as twitch that he realized the clever girl had been holding her breath the entire time.

Just what he needed, a damn newborn with _cunning_ on her side.

Rethinking his plans, he led her down a narrow alleyway and rounded on her, using a burst of speed to forcefully pin her to the wall. Bella snarled on reflex, quieting immediately when Peter sternly commanded, "Breathe." When she hesitated, he nearly snarled himself. "Damn it, Bella! Inhale through your nose." Pressing his forearm pointedly into her collarbone, he promised, "I ain't gonna let ya drain just anyone."

Finally giving in, Bella inhaled deeply. He could feel her muscles tensing beneath his arm as the scents of the nearby humans assaulted her. The bright red hue of her eyes immediately darkened to black, the color he'd expected to see miles ago.

Nodding in satisfaction, Peter informed her, "A couple drifters are gonna cut through here in a moment. Think ya can ignore that thirst long enough to wait for 'em?" Brow furrowed, Bella nodded tightly. "Then find a dark corner to hide in. I'm gonna block their escape from the other side."

He released her slowly and took a cautious step back. Any other newborn her age would've taken off the second he released her, but it appeared Bella had a great deal more restraint than most. Satisfied she wouldn't bolt, he turned to leave.

"That's it?” Bella asked in concern. “You're not going to teach me the best way to drink from them?"

Eyebrows shooting heavenward, Peter gave the newborn a scrutinizing look. While there was a certain rigid tension in the way she held herself, she was still able to focus on something other than the blood headed her way. That was something he hadn't anticipated.

"Ain't really a wrong way to feed," he said slowly, secretly awed by her self-control, "but if ya really want pointers, watch your strength. Humans are more fragile than we are. A gentle touch means there'll be less to clean up. The neck and wrists are easiest, but make sure ya seal your mouth around the wound or you're just wastin' blood."

Bella nodded stiffly and Peter tipped his hat to her before walking away. A bit bemused by the interaction, he found a dark spot near the mouth of the alley and waited for the drifters. The men he'd mentioned had been marked for death the second they arrived in town a few days back. They were serial rapists, a fact he hoped he could use to ease Bella's conscience later if he needed to.

It wasn't long before the scoundrels drunkenly stumbled past, failing to notice Peter as they turned down the alleyway. Staying a few feet back, he stuck to the shadows as he followed them in Bella's direction.

To his surprise, she didn't immediately pounce on her prey. Surreally, he found himself actually whispering encouragement, "Now, Bella."

Peter was certain he would never forget that first kill. There was something about the way her limber body arced through the air as she launched herself at her prey that he found downright hypnotic. Silky, dark hair billowing out around her, she swiftly pinned her first meal of the night gently against the wall of a darkened building before carefully sinking her teeth into his jugular. She'd bitten the man with an accuracy that was astonishing, sealing her mouth over the wound so quickly that not a single drop was wasted. It was such a clean bite that Peter felt messy in comparison.

He couldn't get over how much her behavior differed from that of her peers. Even the way she walked was more reminiscent of a vampire like Maria than anyone Bella's age. The girl moved with all the sinewy grace of a panther, her lithe stride so utterly different from the clumsy gait she possessed as a human that it was a shock to his senses. The fluid motions of her body had such a polished sleekness to them that it set his teeth on edge.

And watching her hunt... it was like watching poetry in motion.

Peter had never seen anything like it. Newborns were naturally lethal creatures, but Bella gave a whole new meaning to the word. Most newborns were impulsive and impatient. They reacted without thought and often crushed their kills in their haste to feed, but they were easy to manage because that wild bloodlust of theirs made them _predictable_. There was a deliberateness in Bella's movements that displayed none of those qualities. It was unnatural for newborns to act so restrained and it only heightened the aura of danger that radiated from her skin.

Her eerie self-control meant that she was unpredictable.

Peter had often wished the newborns he dealt with would be calmer and more rational. Now that he'd gotten a taste of what he'd so naively desired, however, he could honestly say that he preferred them wild.

Alarmed shouts exploded out of the two remaining men as they scrambled away from Bella. Blindly heading back the way they came, they didn't see Peter standing there until they nearly ran right into him.

"Sorry, boys," he chuckled darkly as they skidded to a stop in front of him, "but the girl's gotta eat."

He swiftly knocked one out with a tap to the head while flinging the other at Bella, who had just released the body of the first. Clasping her hand over the drifter's mouth to keep him quiet, the newborn sank her teeth into his neck from behind. She kept her gaze warily trained on Peter as she drank, her instincts screaming at her to protect her meal. Peter was genuinely surprised she'd allowed him as close as she had. He'd been expecting her to growl at him for his proximity before she started in on the second man.

When she was finished, he offered her the third man, only for Bella to refuse. Flabbergasted, he stared at her in incomprehension; he’d never known a newborn to turn down fresh blood. Gently lowering the body in her arms to the ground, she said quietly, "I'm sated, Peter. Besides, weren't you hunting the night you found me? That was three days ago. You're probably really thirsty."

Peter couldn't decide what shocked him more, that a newborn was sharing her prey or showing concern for his welfare. "You, sugar, have gotta be the strangest damn newborn I've ever met. You really offerin' me your prey?"

"Go for it," Bella replied distractedly, wiping a bead of blood from the corner of her mouth. Peter kept his gaze cautiously fastened on Bella as he feasted on the drifter, but the newborn didn't even glance his way. She rummaged through the drifters' pockets while he fed, quickly retrieving their wallets.

Releasing the body in his hands, Peter licked his lips and asked roughly, "What are ya doin'?"

"I want to know who they are," Bella murmured sadly, searching their wallets for something with their names on it. She looked crestfallen when she couldn't find anything. "I killed them," she stated, her voice breaking, "the least I could do is remember their names."

Peter stilled in surprise, taken aback by the remorse in her voice. Even though he knew she would've preferred feeding on animals, he'd honestly thought her reluctance would disappear with her first taste of human blood.

"Knowin' their names won't tell ya who they are," Peter commented eventually, earning a confused look from the pretty brunette. "They're rapists, sweetheart. All three of 'em. They normally roll into town just long enough to ruin the life of some perdy, young thing before they roll back out. That's who they are."

"How do you know?" Bella wondered softly, a veritable storm of emotions in her bright, red eyes. Peter was pleasantly surprised to discover that he could still read them. He'd honestly expected his venom to burn that trait away.

"I just do," he shrugged, hoping she would drop it. When Bella merely stared at him, clearly unsatisfied by that response, he admitted, "I was a Texas Ranger before the Major got his teeth in me. Can't tell ya my rank or my last name, but I remember that much. It's a dangerous profession. You gotta have good instincts or you'll get yourself killed right quick. The venom enhanced those instincts. Now I just seem to know things I ain't got any business knowin'."

"The gift of intuition," Bella realized, looking thoughtful. Peter nodded, privately amused. His sire had made the same suggestion. "Jasper really changed a Texas Ranger?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said with a grin. "Didn't give him much of a choice, really. I was lookin' into a bunch of disappearances in the town he'd just claimed. Got a li'l too close, I suppose. In truth, I thought a nearby tribe was responsible. Turns out most the disappearances we blamed on 'em Indians were newborns."

"Native Americans," Bella absently corrected, fiddling with the wallet in her hands. Peter threw her a look of pure bewilderment and the ghost of a small, amused smile tugged at her lips. "It's what they're called in the future. We only called them Indians in the first place because Columbus thought he was in India when he landed in the New World. It's politically incorrect."

Peter didn't give a damn if it was politically incorrect, but apparently Bella did. He couldn't help but wonder if that meant she'd made friends with a few in the future.

"How in the Sam hell do ya remember somethin' like that?" he asked in astonishment. "Small details like that usually get burned away by the venom."

"I remember most of my life," Bella confessed, stunning him into silence. "The vampires I knew told me they'd lost a lot of their human memories during the change, so I made sure to replay them all after you bit me. I ran through them over and over again."

"The Major will wanna know that," Peter remarked, his thoughts racing. The fact that Bella retained so much of her memory might explain why she was so calm. It was incredibly rare for a newborn to come out of the change with his or her memory intact. To his knowledge, Bella was the first.

Bella's expression darkened at the mention of Jasper and Peter chuckled at her, "Already regrettin' your decision to stay, sugar? The Major can be a real... what did ya call me when I bit ya? An asshole? He can be a real asshole when he wanna be."

To his relief, Bella let out a startled giggle, "People not using that insult yet?"

Peter shook his head slowly, "Nope, can't say we do." He grinned, "But I like it. I'm gonna use it."

He already was, really. He'd called the newborns undisciplined assholes a couple nights back.

Bella smiled toothily for a moment before she sobered. Glancing at the bodies she drained, she sighed, "I don't regret staying, no. It was a dick move-"

"A dick move?" Peter choked out, laughter clogging his throat. He was beginning to look forward to this future of hers. She said the most entertaining things.

"Not a thing yet either?"

"No," he chortled, his eyes welling with venom. He was storing that one away for later.

"Forcing me to feed on humans was a dick move," Bella tried again, deciding to ignore his laughter, "but he's not wrong. I honestly don't know if there are any side effects to drinking animal blood. I never thought to ask."

All of his amusement fled the second she turned her gaze to the bodies again. He could tell just by looking at her that she couldn't decide whether she should feel guilty or not. On the one hand, she'd taken the lives of two men and that didn't sit well with her. On the other, the men she killed got their jollies by raping innocent, young women. She'd saved a lot of women future trauma by ending their lives.

Tossing the wallet aside, Bella backed away from the bodies with a deeply perturbed expression on her face. In the end, knowing the drifters were raping innocent girls didn't make them any less human. She still felt guilty for preying on them and that honestly surprised Peter. He'd thought that knowing they were dirty, rotten scoundrels would be the key to easing her conscience. While he had a feeling the knowledge did help her on some level, she was still having a hard time reconciling with what she'd just done.

Bella clearly felt very guilty over killing humans at all, regardless of their crimes, and he suspected that guilt played a key role in how controlled she was during her meal. Were she not hyperaware of all the pain she was inflicting on those she drank from, quenching her thirst would've been a much more vicious and messy affair.

Deciding the best course of action would be getting her away from the bodies as soon as possible, Peter took out a knife and began staging the scene to resemble a robbery gone wrong. He kept an eye on Bella as he worked, which was why he noticed when she started to pace, her eyes glued to the corpses he was adjusting.

By the time he was finished, she wasn't the same eerily calm newborn he was familiar with. He tucked his knife away as he stared at her in fascination, a bit perplexed by the strange and sudden change. Running a jerky hand through her hair, she bared her teeth in frustration and Peter took a thoughtful step back. By some weird twist of fate, sating her thirst had done nothing to calm her. She was behaving more like an agitated newborn now than she did while she was hunting. She wasn't worked up enough to snap, but that meant little in Bella's case. Acting in a manner even faintly reminiscent of a typical newborn meant she was more distraught than he was comfortable with.

"I don't believe it," Peter muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. Leveling Bella with a disapproving look, he accused, "If it were up to you, you would'a let those _animals_ live!"

Bella snapped her head towards him, her expression fierce, "You don't understand."

"You're right 'bout that," Peter agreed, mildly disgusted by this newest revelation. "I will _never_ understand how ya could'a let those filthy dogs live. Men who force themselves upon helpless women deserve a fate far worse than the one ya gave them."

Bella finally stopped pacing and closed the distance between them. Gazing intently into his eyes, she attempted to defend herself, "You know, there's a saying in my time, 'Kill off my demons and my angels might die too.'" Pointing at the bodies, she explained forcefully, "You may not want to acknowledge it, but cretins like that serve a purpose. They inspire people to do better and _be_ better than they were."

Peter snorted hard and gave her a patronizing look, "You really think them drifters inspired anybody? Sorry, sweet pea. 'Fraid I only know 'bout the ones they destroyed. In fact, I ain't never met a human that was better off for encounterin' a rapist."

"You sure about that?" Bella shot back. "With all of the trauma those drifters caused, there has to be at least _one_ person who decided the world was a terrible place and set about trying to _change_ it."

Peter immediately fell quiet, finally beginning to understand where she was going with this. She wasn't condoning rape, merely pointing out that some humans dealt with the aftermath of tragedy by trying to create something positive from it. The long term consequences of killing them was what concerned her, not their actual deaths.

"It could've even been one of their children," Bella argued, determined to make her point. "What if one of the girls they raped fell pregnant, Peter, and decided to do right by the baby, then raised him to be a good man? What if he grew up and decided to become a sheriff? To protect women like his mother from rapists like his father?" Jabbing Peter in the chest, she challenged, "How many more women will suffer if that future sheriff's never born? Because that might be exactly what I ensured tonight by severing their bloodlines. I might've destroyed a future sheriff."

"You really believe that, sugar?" Peter asked carefully, privately astonished by just how advanced Bella's mind was. She was thinking years down line, anticipating factors Peter had never considered before.

He pitied her for it. Though her unique perspective on feeding was refreshing, it meant that every human death she caused would haunt her for the rest of her existence.

Taking a step back, Bella sighed heavily, "Why wouldn't I? It's how this world works, Peter. Yeah, they destroyed a lot of lives, but everyone reacts to trauma differently. Some people are fighters. The strongest take all their shame and their hurt and use it to drive themselves to improve the world around them. It's called progress."

"Kill off my demons and my angels might die too," he repeated, silently marveling over the newborn before him. She had a very logical reason for abstaining from human blood, but it wasn't going to do her any favors in the South. Still hoping he could find a way for her to make her peace with it, he suggested, "Others would argue that this was always meant to be their fate, that crossin' paths with a vampire means their lines were destined to be severed."

"Maybe that could be said about the average vampire like you and Jasper, but not me," Bella said stubbornly, guiltily glancing at the bodies again. "I'm not any more impressed with their sins than you are, Peter, but you forget that I'm not _from_ this time. These men would not have died by a vampire's hand in the original timeline. I dread to think about the possible consequences of my actions tonight. What if I just killed the ancestor of a future president?"

Peter desperately wanted to laugh, but managed to suppress the urge when he saw just how much the idea genuinely upset her. "I highly doubt we'd want any descendant of theirs runnin' the country one day, brown eyes."

"Yeah?" Bella questioned, her expression grim. "And what about the descendant of a sheriff?"

Peter had nothing to say to that. They both knew the descendant of a sheriff could easily rise through the ranks. With the right political contacts, contacts a sheriff would have at his disposal, it was entirely possible that one of his children or grandchildren could become a politician.

"For what it's worth, I think it's wrong to assume you're an exception," he said eventually. "You make it sound like it wasn't fate that brought ya here, Bella, but how can ya really believe that? What if you are exactly where you're meant to be? You're so concerned that your actions might effect the world negatively, but what if the opposite holds true? What if that future you're frettin' over is a brighter place because of what ya do in the present?"

"I genuinely hope it will be," Bella said thoughtfully, walking over to look at the bodies once more, "but I can't honestly believe killing humans will help me accomplish that."

Recognizing a losing battle when he saw one, Peter found himself at a loss. As long as she intended to fight by the Major's side, she'd be sporting red eyes. Jasper made it pretty damned clear that he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Is it worth it?" he asked quietly, his voice low. Tearing her gaze away from the corpses at her feet, she looked at him questioningly. "Stayin' with us, sweet pea. I can see how much killin' humans bothers ya. You're gonna have to kill every three to four days if ya stick around. Is stayin' really worth it? Is the Major?"

Bella flinched and gave him a stricken look, "What did you just say?"

"I asked if he's worth it," Peter repeated carefully, sensing he'd struck a nerve. He was immediately on alert, worried he'd pushed her too far. As calm as she acted, the girl was still a newborn. Newborns didn't handle strong emotions very well.

Bella was in front of him in a flash. Though Peter would never admit to it, her sudden proximity made him flinch.

If Bella noticed his uneasiness, she chose to ignore it, "Don't you dare imply that Jasper isn't worth it, Peter. He absolutely is. I would kill a hundred humans before I'd ever abandon him."

Relieved to hear it, Peter studied her for a moment before nodding succinctly, "Good. You may very well have ta." Not giving her long to absorb that, he changed the subject, "We need to get back to camp. Ya ready?"

Bella glanced over her shoulder at the bodies one last time before following him out of the alleyway. Unfortunately, they only made it about three miles before she suddenly came to an abrupt stop. Peter quickly backtracked when he realized he'd lost her, trying to decide if she was stalling. After Jasper's less than welcoming reaction to her, he wouldn't be the slightest bit surprised if she wasn't eager to return to camp.

Peter found her standing on the side of the road with a puzzled look on her face. Inhaling deeply through her nose, she wondered, "What is that?"

"What's what?" Peter questioned, scenting the air for anything that stood out. He couldn't smell a damn thing.

"You don't smell it?" Bella checked. "It's like... candied apples and ink, but there's a sharpness to it." She fixed him with a calculating look and observed, "Like you. There's a sharpness to your scent too."

Peter fell quiet, staring at Bella in surprise. The sharpness she'd mentioned meant she'd caught the scent of a vampire, one he couldn't smell, which could only mean one thing. "You've caught the scent of a masker."

"What's a masker?"

"Someone with a gift for maskin' his scent," Peter explained thoughtfully, wondering why it didn't work on her. The ability to sniff out a masker would be useful. They were usually impossible to catch. "Either someone escaped from one of the other warlords by runnin' through our territory or it's an enemy scout." Frowning at the thought of the latter, he urged, "Can ya track it?"

Bella gave him an unsure look and shrugged, "I can try."

He'd secretly hoped she'd track the scent to a messy kill in town, but it appeared gaining a controlled recruit meant he'd hit his limit on luck for the night. Instead, she led him to a creek about half a mile west of town, where she promptly lost the trail. The vampire in question had obviously used the water to leave their territory.

Crouching down next to a boot print left behind in the muddy bank, he cursed under his breath and nodded, "Scout it is, then. Only an older newborn would have the presence of mind to cover his tracks." He looked up at Bella, whose gaze was trained on a cluster of tiny lights in the distance. "Them older ones don't normally run. No point when they think they'll be released at the end of their newborn year. It's why they make the best scouts."

"Is that a city?" Bella interrupted, tearing her eyes away from the lights to look at him. "Cities in Texas have electricity?"

Peter briefly paused to glance at the lights that had caught her attention. It was the city to the north of them that had piqued her interest. "In San Antonio, at least. Most the smaller towns don't have the fundin' for it." He could practically feel the relief the information brought her. "Why's it matter?"

"I wasn't sure if I'd been dumped in the Wild West or not," she said ruefully. "I didn't study the 1890s all that closely. Electricity means civilization, that much I know."

Peter made an amused noise, "Trust me, sugar, plenty of Texas is still wild. They don't call El Paso the Six Shooter Capital for nothin'."

The expression that took hold of her face was an amusing mix between pleasure and consternation. "I don't know how to feel about that," she admitted. "Excited I might get to see a real showdown one day or disappointed because I thought those days were over." She tilted her head pensively before asking in concern, "Jesse James is dead, right? I haven't gone that far back."

"Killed back in '82," Peter confirmed, immensely entertained by the turn their conversation had taken. "Think his brother's still alive and kickin', though."

Bella suddenly looked very fragile, the fierce, predatory newborn he knew swallowed by the lost, little girl who'd had her life ripped away from her. Peter looked away guiltily, feeling lower than dirt for being the one to drag her into this world.

"Is Washington a state yet?" she asked quietly and his gaze snapped back to her in surprise.

Nodding, he asked, "That where ya from, Bella? Washington?"

She did kind of sound like a girl from out west. The Northwest, if he was hearing her right. When she nodded, he couldn't help but tease, "You, sugar, are a long way from home."

"You don't say," she deadpanned and Peter smirked at her cheek.

Dipping his hands in the creek, he nodded towards the water, "Wash your hands and face while we're here. The run back will take care of the scents on our clothes, but blood's a different story. We don't want to agitate the other newborns."

Bella did as he instructed and they finally resumed their trip back to camp when she was done. Peter glanced at her worriedly a few times on the run back, disliking how quiet she was. Without the mystery of that scent to distract her, she'd retreated inside herself and the last thing he wanted was for Bella to get lost in her guilt.

He understood why she was keeping to herself, though. He hardly needed the benefit of his gift to realize she was still struggling with her new feeding habits. She was a killer now and that was an idea that was difficult for her to grasp.

Peter wisely decided not to point out that she would've become a killer anyway on the battlefield. He doubted it would've eased her guilt any and he certainly didn't want to add to it.

It was new for him, feeling concern for a newborn's emotional wellbeing. Normally, he would've been ecstatic over a hunt like the one that just took place. A newborn's first meal was never that simple. Bella was so easy to teach and she never ignored an order. He had a feeling she would end up having less scars in the long run because she never needed to be disciplined. If Bella kept that behavior up, the only scars she'd ever get would be earned on the battlefield or during a sparring match.

Unlike the wild and instinct driven newborns they were used to, Bella didn't need submission beaten into her. She had no issues with doing what she was told... as long as she understood the reasoning behind her orders. In that respect, it was like doing the opposite of what they did to train the other newborns.

When it came to their soldiers, they demanded blind obedience, but that was only because most of them couldn't focus long enough to understand why they were being given certain orders. With Bella, not only could she focus, she was constantly trying to work out the reasoning behind every command Peter gave her. His gut told him that she would only refuse to follow the orders she couldn't understand, which hadn't happened yet, thanks to her new ability to think several different things simultaneously at astonishing speeds.

Blind obedience was not something she was comfortable with, but Peter _knew_ she would still follow his and Jasper's commands if it came down to it. She wouldn't do it because she submitted to them, though, like the rest of their forces. No, she would only follow an order blindly because she _trusted_ them. It was a new concept to Peter, having someone follow his lead out of trust, but he liked it and he had a feeling that Jasper would too.

Most of their newborns couldn't be trusted to go on hunts until they were around eight or nine months old. They were gluttonous things that would drain an entire town without a second thought, trying to satiate an insatiable appetite. Taking them hunting was a risk they just couldn't afford. Jasper often sent out a couple of the older newborns to bring meals back to camp when it was time to feed instead. They'd fed just two nights ago and wouldn't need fed again for another night or two, which was why Peter had taken her away from camp to hunt.

Jasper had known, of course. His orders were to _take her to hunt,_ not to _bring her a meal_ , and Jasper always said what he meant. Bella's small outburst earlier about how she wouldn't leave without him must've earned her the man's tentative trust, and that... well, that was no easy feat.

"When we get back to camp, try to stay close to me at all times," Peter said seriously, his deep voice shattering the tense silence that had risen between them. Bella threw him a questioning look and he quickly explained, "Newborns typically run on bloodlust and instinct. They're impulsive and uncontrolled. It takes a few months for most to start thinkin' around their thirst and learn to control their primal urges. We have to keep 'em in line through violence."

In truth, Peter didn't want to talk about camp. He didn't want to talk about fighting or newborns either. What he really wanted to discuss was the future and what vampire life was like up north. There were so many questions he wanted to ask her, but he knew that talk would have to wait. It was more important to get her training started and inform her about the kind of life he'd dragged her into. Jasper's primary concern was making sure she was equipped to survive the present and Peter fully intended to help him prepare her for it.

Bella frowned at him, looking understandably skeptical. He couldn't blame her for doubting him, not when her own experience didn't seem to coincide with anything he just said. Chuckling darkly, he promised, "You're not typical, sugar. You're much calmer than our other newborns and I ain't sure you've even experienced any of the normal, primal urges that drive 'em. Most newborns are constantly strugglin' with bloodlust and good ol' fashioned lust. They're gonna take one look at your perdy face and wanna sate that lust with you.

"Never leave my line of sight. If I ain't around, then ya stick close to the Major. Try to make some friends with the older newborns. If they'll watch your back? _Great_. Until then, act like you're our fuckin' shadows, ya got it? You're so damned calm that the newborns old enough to notice will just assume we're groomin' ya for a leadership position."

"Okay," Bella quickly agreed. Startled, Peter eyed her suspiciously, thinking her acceptance had come just a little too easily. He feared it meant she'd encountered a ruffian or two in the future, which was an idea he wasn't too keen on.

Ultimately, he decided not to question her on it, because he didn't really want to know. There was nothing he could do about it if she had, so that was a can of worms not worth opening.

"There are a few other things ya gotta know before we return," Peter continued after a moment, keeping to a moderate pace for the run back to camp. It was only a little past midnight. As such, there weren't many people out and the darkness cloaking the land kept them hidden from the few that were. "Jasper don't seem to mind it when ya use his first name, but you should really watch that around the others. It's not a rule, per se, but everyone back at camp calls him 'Major.' You might draw the wrong kind of attention if ya don't. Same goes for me. Try to call me 'Captain' when we're not alone-"

"Can I ask you about that?" Bella interrupted and he glanced at her questioningly. "Were you and Jasper ever in the military? Before your change, I mean."

"Jasper was," Peter admitted, a bit surprised that she didn't already know. "He was actually the youngest major in the Texas Calvary. My rank was given to me by Maria, so it's more of an honorary title. The Major runs our company a lot like he ran his unit in the Civil War. He keeps us on a tight schedule and drills us daily. Understand?"

Bella nodded thoughtfully, looking mildly impressed by Jasper's military record. She gestured for him to continue and Peter steered them back on track.

"Speakin' of which, if we ask you a question, say 'yes, sir' or 'no, sir.' It's what the other newborns do. When ya meet Maria, be respectful and call her 'Mistress.' That one," he cautioned, "is most definitely a rule. Disrespectin' Maria or gettin' her angry will only earn ya unnecessary pain and a slow death. And don't argue with us in front of the others neither. If ya disagree with somethin', keep it to yourself until ya get a chance to talk to us in private.

"I like ya, Bella, and I think the Major does too. We don't wanna have to punish you, but we won't have a choice if ya disobey any of the rules. Just do what we say when we tell ya to and you'll do fine. Think ya can handle that?"

"Yes, sir," Bella said with a mocking salute and Peter made a face at her. "How would you, uh," she hesitated, her voice full of uncertainty, "how would you punish me?"

Peter glanced at her, taking in her anxious expression, and soberly explained, "With a show of dominance. One of us would publicly force ya to your knees and bite ya. Other times, we withhold blood. It depends on how serious the infraction is. If you ever did somethin' really out of line or offensive, like insult Maria or attack one of us without provocation, we'd tear off a limb and force ya to train without it for a few days."

Though she was doing a pretty good job of keeping the horror off her face, Peter knew she was frightened. He could taste it in the air. The scent of her fear bothered him more than he wanted to admit. He hadn't scented fear on her even once since the moment he'd met her and had even admired her for that fearlessness. The last thing he wanted was for her to start getting scared of him now.

"Like I said, I really don't wanna punish you and neither does the Major," Peter stressed, attempting to reassure her. "He'll never admit it, but we both got a bit of a soft spot for ya-"

Bella scoffed and Peter paused to look at her. "He's got a soft spot for me? Really, Peter?" she asked in an incredulous tone, her voice laden with doubt. "Didn't look that way to me. In fact, I'm pretty sure Jasper _couldn't wait_ to get away from me!"

Peter slowed their pace before stopping entirely, turning to stare at her in disbelief. He couldn't believe how badly she'd misinterpreted Jasper's earlier reaction to her. Yes, he made a quick escape, but it wasn't because he wanted to get away from her. It was because he needed time to wrap his head around everything she told them.

Bella obviously didn't understand just how disposable newborns were yet. If Jasper really wanted to get away from her, he would've just killed her. And he truly _did_ have a soft spot for her or he would've shut her down the first time she used his name. He hadn't, though. In fact, he hadn't once corrected her and told her to call him Major. That fact alone had Peter convinced that Jasper had just as big a soft spot for the girl as he did. Probably a bigger one. Peter even had a sneaking suspicion that the man actually _enjoyed_ it every time Bella said his name.

Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if Jasper started finding reasons to follow her around camp or decided to train her personally, just to get closer to her. Bella's emotions already drew him like a moth to the flame and Peter would bet his left arm that the draw would only grow now that her change was complete, especially since Bella had admitted that she still loved the members of that coven she mentioned. A coven Jasper was a part of.

It might only be familial love, but love was a powerful emotion, regardless of the type. He imagined that an emotion like love was probably something intoxicating to an empath, even more so to an empath who was constantly surrounded by fear, hate, rage, bloodlust, and despair. And to feel that love directed at _him_? It'd be a pull too tempting to ignore. Jasper wouldn't be able to avoid her forever for that reason alone. Peter was sure of it.

Even if he dismissed the emotional draw Jasper had to her, he knew the man still wouldn't be able stay away from Bella for long. He didn't know what man could when a woman that pretty declared he was someone literally worth fighting for. Peter sincerely hoped that Bella could handle him once Jasper finally got his head on straight, because Bella might've felt that he was family, but he highly doubted that Jasper was entertaining _brotherly_ thoughts whenever he looked at her.

He just prayed Maria never caught wind of any of this- Jasper's attraction to her or Bella's loyalty and connection to the man.

"You don't even realize what you've done, do ya, sugar?" Peter asked in astonishment. "Can't ya see how much you've just changed things?" Stepping closer to her, he searched her eyes for a sign that she knew, that she _really_ knew, what kind of impact her earlier words would've had on the man that sired him. "Don't ya understand that you've gone and turned his whole world on its head?" he breathed, seeing no hint of that understanding in her eyes.

Confirming his thoughts, Bella frowned in confusion and Peter let out an incredulous chuckle. Taking another step towards her, he asked, "What do ya think our lives have been like since Maria had us changed, Bella? Ya think we've been given any peace? Any compassion? Do you think we've known any affection, comfort, or kindness? It's been nothin' but pain and death for decades now. That's what war is."

Even Jasper's relationship with Maria hadn't been a positive one. It'd been dominated by the darker side of their nature, twisted by blood and lust. Maria had used it to control him and ensure his loyalty. Genuine affection and kindness had no place in that farce of a relationship. Sadly, Peter knew for a fact that Jasper didn't remember enough about his human life to know the relationship wasn't a healthy one.

Bella's confusion melted away and a look of sad understanding took its place, "Peter-"

"It's even worse for the Major," Peter continued, cutting her off. "It ain't just that he can feel the destructive, poisonous emotions of everyone around him, he's also been fightin' longer than the rest of us. He was changed durin' the Civil War, which means he's been at this for over thirty damn years. And in all that time," he stressed, "he's never met a newborn like you, Bella. Neither of us have.

"Most newborns either try to run or kill us the second they open their eyes and they don't exactly grow any fonder after we beat 'em into submission. They definitely don't pledge us their loyalty, vow to never abandon us, or claim us as family. Hell, we've been fightin' for so damned long that we don't even know what family is anymore."

Bella flinched as if he'd physically struck her, his words hit her that hard. Even though she knew what she was getting into by deciding to stay, it was obvious to Peter that she hadn't yet given any real thought to what their lives had been like before she came along. He was beginning to wonder if the Jasper she knew told her anything about his life in Maria's army _at all._ She said she knew him the least and Peter was starting to wonder exactly what that meant.

Softening his voice, Peter asked, "Do ya understand what I'm sayin', sugar? Do ya get it yet? Can ya see what you've done now, what you're _still doin',_ just by being here, Bella? Just by promisin' him you'll stay?"

He was honestly still amazed that she'd made that promise. Given her initial reluctance to accompany him back to camp, her decision to stay was the last thing he'd expected from her. Hell, if she really wanted to leave, Peter doubted they'd be able to stop her. They'd never had any difficulty retrieving fleeing newborns in the past, but that was only because they always left a trail of bodies in their wake. Tracking someone as rational and calm as Bella would be a much more frustrating task. She wouldn't make the same messy mistakes the average newborn would.

In hindsight, he probably shouldn't have shown her how to disguise their kills. It'd only make it easier for her to leave if she ultimately decided war was something she couldn't handle.

He just hoped she took him with her if that day ever came. Now that he knew it was possible to live a peaceful life up north, she and Jasper were the only reasons he hadn't walked away already.

Peter chuckled sadly at her and shook his head in amusement, " _Of course_ he's got a soft spot for ya, sweetheart. How in the hell could he not? You're willin' to kill for him, sugar. That's the kinda thing that makes an impression on a man."

Eyes wide, Bella abruptly looked away and Peter tried not to laugh at her expense. She obviously hadn't realized how her actions could be interpreted by someone who didn't know what her relationship with that coven was like. Peter knew that Bella genuinely meant that she thought of Jasper as family, but the lengths she was willing to go to in order to remain at his side and ensure his safety looked like so much more than just a familial obligation. She was aware of that now and he thought her reaction was hilarious. He didn't doubt that she'd be blushing if she could.

"Now, maybe it didn't look like anythin' ya said earlier mattered to him, but I guarantee ya that ain't true. It damn well _mattered_ , Bella," he said seriously, drawing her eyes back to him. "He just needs time to sort through everythin' you've thrown at him. The Major's been livin' in the dark for so long that he no longer knows how to handle any kind of light. Thirty years of nonstop war will do that to a person."

Bella stared at him sadly, genuinely pained by what she'd just learned, and finally lowered her gaze, looking down at her feet. Peter shook his head a little in disbelief, thrown by the submissive gesture. She wasn't a submissive vampire and he knew it, but she certainly looked like one in that moment.

It was a defense mechanism, he suddenly realized. Any time she felt emotionally threatened or hurt, her behavior changed and she made herself look weaker. And it _worked_ , too. Jasper had immediately softened earlier and Peter could feel himself softening now.

"I'm sorry, Peter," Bella whispered and shifted uncomfortably.

Peter frowned and asked in confusion, "What on earth could ya possibly be sorry for?"

"What you've both been through," Bella explained, lifting her eyes to his. "You've suffered immensely. It doesn't matter if you're in command, Peter, you're still suffering. Nobody's life should be full of so much darkness, so much pain and death, and I'm sorry that yours is."

Peter shook his head at her, smiling reluctantly, "You see? That's why I got such a soft spot for ya. Cut that out." He started back towards camp, laughing to himself, "Compassionate newborns. The hell?" Genuinely baffled, he muttered under his breath, "Never heard of such a thing."

Of course, Bella still heard him and giggled as she caught up to him.

"Now, what were we talkin' about?" Peter wondered, getting them back on track. "Oh, that's right. Punishments. You think rationally, so I'm hopin' that by just talkin' to ya about it ahead of time, we can avoid all that shit. Normally, you'd already have a bite mark or two by now, but ya calmed yourself down earlier instead of attackin' us or tryin' to escape." He grinned at her, giving her a proud look. "Which was amazin', by the way. Never seen a newborn overrule her instincts like that before. The Major and I honestly didn't know what to do with ya for a second there."

Bella smiled at that. The smell of her fear had long since faded, which was something he was grateful for. It was a scent he'd prefer not to encounter again anytime soon. Bella's human scent had been flowery. The venom had deepened it, making it both more seductive and wholesome at the same time. Now she smelled of desert wildflowers laced with a hint of strawberry. Her fear gave it a bitterness that left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Any other rules I should know about?"

"Besides the obvious 'don't go anywhere without tellin' us' rule?" he joked. "Yeah, there's one more. Don't take a mate. Maria has us destroy mated pairs. They're a liability on the battlefield and always cause us problems. It's instinct to protect your mate above all else, so mates tend to turn our missions into pure chaos the second they realize their partners are in danger. Sex ain't a big deal, you can have as many lovers as ya want, but do _not_ take a mate."

"I don't know what that means, Peter," Bella quietly pointed out, unknowingly throwing her innocence in his face. It made him a bit ill to realize just how innocent she actually was. "How does a vampire take a mate?"

Peter swallowed a curse. He'd honestly been hoping the coven she told him about would've explained that awkward subject to her, but he could see now that he wasn't that lucky. With a heavy sigh, he rubbed the back of his neck before uncomfortably explaining, "It's usually pretty instinctive. You establish a matin' bond by bitin' each other durin' sex. It's called a claimin' mark. Usually, it's on the left side of the neck, but we've dealt with a couple of mated pairs that tried hidin' their marks beneath their clothin'.

"The thing is, sometimes we bite our lovers on instinct anyway. We're vampires, sugar, it's what we do, so it's not really about the bite itself. It's the _intention_ behind it. You have to love the person you're markin' and let 'im mark ya in return. They're possessive bites rather than ones of dominance. We mark the ones we love because we want everyone to know that they're ours, but claimin' our loved ones like that binds us to 'em as mates. Don't take a lover you have genuine feelings for and ya'll be just fine."

Even as he said the words, Peter felt wrong, like he shouldn't be telling her not to claim a man she loved. The more he thought about it, the more he started to realize that it felt so wrong because Bella was his responsibility and he wanted her to be happy. A mate was a rare gift and it went against all of his instincts to tell her she could have lovers, but never a mate.

Peter was honestly confused by just how much her happiness meant to him. Bella was quickly becoming a baby sister to him and he was still struggling to figure out _why_. He'd never felt so responsible for someone he sired until now. Then again, he'd also never formed a personal connection with any of the people he changed before and that was the moment realization struck him. They'd _bonded_ before he changed her. He had such a soft spot for her because he'd established a sire's bond.

For the first time in his life, Peter had changed someone not because he had orders to bolster the ranks, but because he genuinely liked her and didn't want to kill her. Like he'd just told Bella, intention was everything. He'd inadvertently tied himself to her and now they had a bond sealed in venom, one that would only continue to grow.

Pausing, Peter realized she hadn't said anything and eyed her in concern. Bella looked lost in thought, a small frown on her face and her brow puckered in confusion.

"What's that look for?" he prodded, startling her.

"I just didn't know that was how the whole mating thing worked," she said, trailing off.

Peter shook his head, "No, there's somethin' else. We're close to the farm, so tell me now or ya might not get a chance to for a while."

Bella glanced at him uncertainly before letting out a resigned sigh, "Jasper was married when I met him in my time. I thought his wife was his mate. All I knew was what they told me and all they told me was that vampires mated for life."

There was more bothering her than just that, but Peter didn't call her on it. Whatever it was, he _knew_ it was personal. He had a feeling someone from that coven might've led her to believe they were mates back in 2005. It obviously wasn't Jasper, not if he was married at the time, and he was oddly grateful for that. Things would've gotten a heck of a lot messier if their newest recruit had been under the false impression that Jasper was her mate. Just imagining how that situation would've played out amused him to no end.

Jasper was already struggling to comprehend Bella's fondness for him. He hadn't the slightest idea what to do with the girl. If he couldn't even handle a girl claiming him as family, watching him react to a newborn who was madly in love with him would've been an entertaining sight to see.

"And you don't think they were mated now?" he wondered, curious about the woman Jasper was married to in her time. For some reason, he just couldn't picture it. To be honest, he couldn't see the man with anyone but... well, with anyone but Bella, the only girl Jasper had taken an interest in besides Maria. He wondered if that meant her presence was already changing the course their lives would've taken.

Oblivious to his thoughts, she shrugged, "It's not like I stripped them and searched them for claiming marks, but his wife was my best friend and I never noticed a mark on her neck. Not even in the sun." He gave her a puzzled look and she clarified, "It's hard for humans to see our scars unless we're standing in direct sunlight. I've never seen Jasper in the sunlight. Didn't know he had any scars at all until the other night when Victoria, the petty redhead, broke into my house. She wanted me to know what I was in for."

That was useful to know. He'd never realized that humans couldn't see their scars. Idly, he wondered whether Jasper knew or was just as ignorant as he was. It wasn't like they'd ever thought to ask a human what they could see when they looked at them.

"Yeah, that redhead... the more ya mention her, the more I seem to hate her," Peter grumbled. "I didn't realize I was helpin' her by recruitin' ya, sugar. I honestly thought her goal was to get ya drained by a vicious newborn. They're usually very rough on their prey. I'm sorry for that."

Bella's face tightened. Shaking her head, she disagreed, "You didn't, Peter. Being changed was _my_ choice. Staying here is _my_ choice. Victoria may have gotten what she thought she wanted, but sending me here was the biggest mistake she's ever made. This is the best place to learn how to track and kill her. And when I finally get back to 2005, that's exactly what I'm going to do."

Peter nodded slowly, deciding to let it go. She was right, after all. He and Jasper would teach her everything she needed to know to take that redhead down. And Bella was certainly driven enough to see it through. Hell, he'd even help her do it, if she wanted the backup. He just had to survive long enough to see that day come.

Eventually, Peter's mind drifted back to Jasper's mystery wife. Unfortunately, he didn't get the chance to give Bella his theories on the subject. They were within sight of the farm by then and he was hesitant to mention anything of the future so close to camp.

Jasper was talking to Maria out on the porch of the farmhouse when they finally returned to the property. Catching Peter's eye, he gestured towards the canyon with a subtle nod.

Understanding immediately, Peter said, "C'mon, recruit. Time to show ya the rest of camp."

He was immensely relieved when Bella replied with a respectful, "Yes, sir."

The back of his neck itched as they started heading towards the canyon and Peter knew without looking that Maria's eyes were trailing them until they disappeared around the barn. He nearly groaned out loud when he got the sudden feeling that Maria was paying extra attention to Bella. The girl was just too calm and poised. She acted and moved like a vampire a century old and it was going to get her put on all the most dangerous assignments.

Shaking his head, Peter guided her to the back end of the property, idly filling the silence by describing the types of drills Jasper liked to put their men through. He stopped at the edge of the canyon to let Bella look around before showing her the well worn path leading down into the heart of it. Many of them often bypassed the path and just stepped off the ledge instead, letting gravity do the work for them.

"We train in the canyon for the shade it gives us from the sun," Peter explained and Bella nodded in understanding. "Our newborns fight better than most 'cause we spend more time trainin' 'em. Most warlords only train 'em after the sun sets. For obvious reasons, most battles also happen at night."

"Does the canyon have another exit?" Bella asked and Peter looked at her interestedly, shaking his head. "We should consider making one. It'd be bad to be ambushed down there."

Peter smirked, "We're excellent fighters, Bella."

"I wasn't worried about fighting, _Captain_ ," Bella said quietly, putting a taunting emphasis on his rank. "I'm more concerned about someone dumping a few gallons of gasoline over the edge and tossing in a lit match. From what I remember, vampires are extremely flammable."

Peter stilled and looked at her hard, "Gasoline?"

Bella nodded, "It's an accelerant, highly flammable and hard to extinguish." When he threw her a blank look, she tried again, "An accelerant makes things easier to burn. If I remember right, they're going to start manufacturing cars soon, if they haven't already. Basically, they're carriages powered by an engine instead of a horse and that engine runs on gasoline. Only the rich can afford them at first, but gasoline's going to be available to the public soon." She paused thoughtfully and glanced at the canyon again before looking up at Peter, "Doesn't have to be gasoline, either. A couple gallons of alcohol or venom would do the trick too. You should really have a lookout posted up here. You're fish in a barrel down there." Bella smiled and finished with a pointed, "Sir."

Peter wasn't sure whether to smile proudly or shove her over the edge. Deciding on something in between, he grabbed her hand and leapt into the canyon, pulling a yelping Bella along with him. They landed in a cloud of dust at the bottom and he dropped her hand the second he was sure her legs were steady. Aware that he'd caught her off guard and that she needed a moment to process their jump, he waited patiently for her reaction.

When her face broke out in a delighted grin and she looked up to see just how far they'd dropped, he gave himself a mental pat on the back. The little smart-ass was a secret thrill seeker. She was going to adjust to vampire life just fine.

Lowering his voice to a level only she could hear, he warned, "No more talk 'bout things you're not s'posed to know. If somethin' comes to you that's so important ya can't wait to tell me, give me a sign. Tug on your left ear. Whatever it is, I'll take credit for it, make it sound like it's a part of my gift."

Bella gave him a puzzled look, "You think people will target me for what I know?"

"I don't just _think_ they will, I _know_ they will. Knowledge is power, Bella, and you know too much," he cautioned, waiting until she nodded tentatively to continue their tour. Walking towards the heart of the canyon, where most of their newborns were training, he barked, "Let's go, Swan!"

Bella caught up to him quickly, following him towards the sound of clashing thunder. The second they stepped into view of the others, though, Peter wished they'd already made that secondary exit.

He swore every male head in the vicinity snapped in Bella's direction simultaneously. Peter knew she still smelled pretty good, even without the scent of human blood running through her veins, but he hadn't thought the male newborns would be _that_ tempted by it. More than one predatory growl echoed through the canyon and a couple of the more unruly ones started to edge closer. He was just about to let out a warning growl of his own, telling them to back the hell off, when one of the deadliest sounding hisses he'd ever heard sliced through the air.

Peter snapped his head towards Bella in surprise, trying to ignore the chill sliding down his spine. She looked almost feral as her darkened eyes jumped from newborn to newborn in warning, her muscles coiled to spring. Not getting the message, one of the males took another step in her direction and she whirled on him, slamming her palm into his chest. The newborn flew backwards from the force, crashing into a few others who'd been standing behind him.

Amazed by her own strength, she briefly glanced at her hand before warning the other males in a voice so deadly calm that it made him shiver, "You even think about touching me and I will tear your balls off and introduce them to a lit match. Understand?"

Did he mention how much he was really starting to love little Bella Swan?

It was a hard thing to do, but Peter forced himself not to outright laugh when the rowdiest of the newborns froze in their tracks, nervously absorbing the threat she just delivered. As the newest of the bunch, Bella was the strongest and that made her more than capable of following through on that threat. It was the look on everyone's faces that Peter found downright comical, though. Women must've been more vocal in 2005, because the men from this time period definitely weren't used to hearing ladies speak the way Bella did. Especially ones who were as petite and beautiful as she was. She might've looked like easy pickings because of her small frame, but she'd just made it pretty damned clear that trying to act on that false impression would be a fatal error.

"Y'all heard her," Peter barked, "now return to your duties!"

A chorus of _yessir's_ rang out before they all got back to work and Peter finally turned his attention back to Bella, grinning like a fool. Bella shot him an unamused look and glanced around at the different sparring matches and drills taking place. Eyes lingering on a particularly brutal looking fight, Bella asked, "Captain? Think we could finish this tour later?" She tore her eyes away from the sparring match and looked up at Peter, her expression serious, "I think it might be best if you taught me a few moves first."

"Took the words right out of my mouth, sugar," Peter agreed. "Follow me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Kill off my demons and my angels might die too." -Tennessee Williams
> 
> If anyone has any ideas for gifts for our newborn soldiers (both for Maria's army and the opposing armies), feel free to share them with me. Either message me or leave them in a comment.
> 
> ***Update as of 7/19***
> 
> So, the next chapter may take a while. Unfortunately, my house has been hit by COVID. My dad was briefly hospitalized last week, where he tested positive. My mom and I are still waiting for our test results, but it’s starting to look like I may be asymptomatic (a genuine miracle, since I have the worst lungs in the family). 
> 
> Since my mom’s showing symptoms too, I’m suddenly the healthiest person in the house, which is downright hilarious since I have serious mobility issues. I’m normally on bedrest, but now I’m the only one healthy enough to do the things they normally help me with, like make them dinner, get their prescriptions, etc. For someone with serious medical issues, becoming the caretaker for two others is incredibly draining.
> 
> I’m sorry, guys, but right now posting the next chapter is the least of my concerns. Hopefully that will change in a few weeks.
> 
> Stay safe. Wash your hands, wear a mask, keep your social distance.
> 
> —TBVA


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